THE  LIBRARIES 


ijti-u'i,. 


HISTORY 


op  THE 


PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH 


^^y. 


HISTORY        y 

/  UF   THE 

PRESBYTEEIAN    CHURCH 


STATE    OF    KENTUCKY; 


A  PRELIMINARY  SKETCH  OF  THE  CHURCHES  IN  THE  VALLEY 

OF  VIRGINIA. 


REV.  ROBERT  DAVIDSON,  D.D. 

AUTHOR  OF   AN   "EXCURSION    TO    THE  MAMMOTH   CAVE,"    AND    "NOTICES   OF    THE  EARLY 

SETTLEMENT  OF  KENTUCKY  ;"  LATE   PRESIDENT  OF  TRANSYLVANIA   UNIVERSITY  ; 

CORRESPONDING    MEMBER    OF  THE    KENTUCKY  HISTORICAL    SOCIETY; 

HONORARY  MEMBER  OF  THE  NEVl^  YORK  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY  ;      . 

HONORARY  MEMBER  OF  THE  NATIONAL  INSTITUTE,  ETC. 


•'  Vererer  reprehensionem  p>'udeiiti|ini,  quod  tjiUa  ediuerim,  nisi  historici  munu?  epsei 
referre  omnia  quae  dicta  ei;  actt<  s!U■/l'*.'•-vF'^BI?p^;l;  in  Vit.  Laur.  Med. 


NEW  YORK:        ^ 

ROBERT     CARTER,    58     CANAL    STREET, 

PITTSBURG:    56   MARKET    STREET. 

LEXINGTON,    KENTUCKY  :      CHARLES    MARSHALL. 


■^  MDCCCXLVII.  y 


-i^:]^o  £) 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1847,  by 
ROBERT    CARTER, 

in  tlie  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  for  tiie  Southern  District  of  New  York. 


Of 
CONQftC^ 

EDWARD  O.  JENKINS,  PRINTER, 

1 1  4  N  assau  street. 


CO 

IT) 


PREFACE 


There  is  no  section  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  on  the 
Western  Continent,  whose  history  has  been  more  eventful  or 
interesting  than  that  planted  in  Kentucky.  The  project  of 
perpetuating  the  memory  of  its  early  incidents  has  been  enter- 
tained by  several  able  and  distinguished  divines ;  Dr.  John  P. 
Campbell,  the  Rev.  John  McFarland,  the  Rev.  William  L. 
McCalla,  and  Dr.  Thomas  Cleland  ;  but  the  task  has  hitherto 
remained  unaccomplished.  Dr.  Bishop's  "  Outline,"  though 
containing  a  mass  of  interesting  matter,  is  not  a  connected 
history,  and  professes  nothing  beyond  the  preservation  of  ma- 
terials for  a  successor  in  the  field. 

The  work  now  offered  to  the  public  is  the  fruit  of  nine 
years'  laborious  research  during  the  intervals  of  professional 
cares,  oftentimes  sufficiently  arduous  and  perplexing.  In  one 
respect  at  least,  Horace's  rule  has  been  partially  complied  with; 
viz :  waiting  for  "  the  ninth  rip'ning  year."  Not  only  has  the 
author  travelled,  like  Scott  and  Alison,  in  quest  of  truth,  and 
like  Froissart,  conversed  personally  with  the  actors  in  the  great 
drama  of  the  past;  but  he  Tias. enjoyed  facilities,  providentially 
put  in  his  way,  of  no  ordinary  value.  The  Diaries  of  the  Rev. 
John  Lyle  were  just  on  the  point  of  being  committed  to  the 
flames  as  waste  paper,  when  they  fell  into  the  author's  hands, 


vi  PREFACE. 

through  the  friendly  agency  of  the  Rev.  Robert  Stuart.* 
In  looking  over  the  contents,  which  were  seen  at  a  glance 
to  be  of  inestimable  importance,  the  following  paragraph  came 
to  light.  "  The  foregoing  short  sketches  M^ere  written  hastily 
for  private  use  ;  and  should  I  die  before  I  destroy  them,  I 
would  not  allow  my  friends  to  hand  them  about,  or  any  one 
to  use  them,  except  some  judicious  friend  might  make  an 
extract  of  those  few  particulars  which  might  be  useful  in 
writing  a  history  of  the  progress  of  religion  in  Kentucky." 
Hereupon  the  author  claimed  a  warrant  for  retaining  the  pre- 
cious MS.,  provided  his  venerable  friend  would  vouch  for  his 
coming  under  the  category  of  being  the  ^^ judicious"  person 
required.  This  Diary,  kept  during  the  height  of  the  great 
revival  of  1800-1803,  has  proved  an  invaluable  document, 
and  will  be  frequently  referred  to. 

Another  instance  of  good  fortune  was  the  reception  from 
the  late  Professor  Edward  Graham,  of  Lexington,  Virginia,  of 
nine  sheets  of  foolscap,  containing  a  variety  of  curious  matter 
in  regard  to  the  early  history  of  the  churches  in  the  valley  of 
Virginia.  To  the  patient  and  friendly  offices  of  Dr.  Archibald 
Alexander,  this  portion  of  the  work  is  likewise  much  indebted. 
There  are  other  persons,  as  Dr.  Blythe,  Dr.  Wilson,  Dr.  Fish- 
back,  Mrs.  Lyle,  Mrs.  Dr.  Marshall,  Mrs.  J.  M.  C.  Irwin,  &c., 
from  whose  lips  much  valuable  information  was  obtained,  of 
which  their  lamented  death  would  otherwise  have  deprived  the 
world  forever.  To  General  McAfee,  Glass  Marshall,  Esq., 
Mrs.  Thomas  Skillman,  James  Stonestreet,  Esq.,  General 
John  M.  McCalla,  Rev.  R.  Stuart,  Dr.  Thomas  Cleland,  Rev. 
Lyman  Seely,  Mrs.  N.  Burrowes,  Dr.  W.  W.  Hall,  Dr.  Joshua 
L.  Wilson,  Dr.  William  Ridgley,  Rev.  Jacob  F.  Price,  J.  Lyle, 


*  In  1845,  a  similar  fortunate  chance  befell  the  author,  in  rescuing  from  the 
same  fate  the  MS.  Lettor-Book  of  Lewis  Morris,  the  first  Governor  of  New 
Jersey ;  the  substance  of  which  was  embodied  in  a  Memoir,  and  read  before 
the  New  Jersey  Historical  Society. 


PREFACE.  ^jj 

Esq.,  (fee,  the  writer  is  under  obligations  for  various  books, 
pamphlets,  and  MSS.,  of  which  he  has  largely  availed  himself. 
JBut  to  no  individual  is  he  more  indebted  than  the  Rev.  Robert 
Stuart ;  whose  full,  accurate,  and  obliging  communications  are 
acknowledged  with  the  warmest  gratitude. 

From  these  sources,  and  the  original  records  of  the  various 
ecclesiastical  bodies,  the  following  history  has  been  prepared. 
In  regard  to  later  events,  the  writer  having  personally  mingled 
in  them,  must  conseiit  to  be  held  responsible  himself  for  the 
accuracy  of  his  statements.  Truth  has  been  his  object ;  and 
his  aim,  to  hold  an  impartial  pen.  Compelled  by  the  force  of 
evidence  to  alter  some  of  his  own  pre-conceived  opinions,  he 
asks  similar  candor  on  the  part  of  his  reader.  In  consequence 
of  the  desire  to  compress  the  book  into  a  reasonable  size,  some 
things  have  been  of  necessity  omitted,  particularly  the  statistics 
of  the  churches.  But  as  the  Rev.  Mr.  Shane  was  known  to  be 
engaged  in  the  preparation  of  such  statistics,  the  omission  was 
the  more  readily  made. 

In  the  opinion  of  some,  all  revelations,  not .  of  a  eulogistic 
character,  had  better  be  suppressed.  They  differ  widely  from 
Fabroni,  whose  words  are  quoted  in  the  title-page,  and  who 
deemed  truth  the  first  characteristic  of  a  historian.  Should 
others  object  to  some  of  the  details  in  the  following  pages  as 
beneath  the  majestic  march  of  the  historic  muse,  they  are  en- 
treated to  ponder  the  opinion  of  Macaulay.  "  There  is  a  vile 
phrase,"  says  that  distinguished  writer,  "  of  which  bad  his- 
torians are  exceedingly  fond — '  the  dignity  of  history.'  One 
writer  is  in  possession  of  some  anecdotes  which  would  illustrate 
most  strikingly  the  operation  of  the  Mississippi  scheme  on  the 
manners  and  morals  of  the  Parisians.  But  he  suppresses  those 
anecdotes  because  they  are  too  low  for  the  dignity  of  history? 
The  true  historian  will  not  think  anything  too  trivial  for  the 
gravity  of  history,  which  is  not  too  trivial  to  promote  or 
diminish  the  happiness  of  man." 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

INTRODUCTORY — PRESBYTERIAN   CHURCHES   IN     THE   VALLEY   OF   VIRGINIA. 

Scotch-Irish — Driven  by  Persecution  to  America — Settlements  in  Western 
Virginia — Early  Planting  of  Religion — Toleration — Augusta  county — 
People  of  Patoinoke — Opequon — Augusta  Church — Tinkling  Spring 
— Craig — Wilson — Waddel — Brown's  Meeting-House — Scott — Miller — 
Old  and  New  Side  Missionaries — Robinson — New  Providence — Timber 
Ridge — Brown — Hall's  Meeting-House — Old  and  New  Side  Churches 
— Presbjlery  of  Lexington — Republican  Spirit  of  the  Valley — Hampden 
Sidney — Liberty  Hall — Graham — Revival  of  1788 — Synod's  Committee 
of  Missions — Labors  of  Domestic  Missionaries 13 

CPLIPTER  n. 

INTRODUCTION   OF   PRESBYTERIANISM   INTO  KENTUCKY. 

Inviting  Character  of  Kentucky — Its  Rapid  Settlement — The  McAfee  Com- 
pany— Religious  Principles  of  the  Settlers — Father  Rice — Jacob  Fish- 
back — New  Providence — Indian  Perils — Church  at  Lexington — The  Two 
Conferences — Twelve  Congregations — Defective  Character  of  Professors 
of  Religion — Commission  of  the  Presbytery  of  Hanover — Crawford — 
Templin — Presbytery  of  Transylvan ia — Shannon — McClurc — Improved 
State  of  Religion — The  Baptists 51 

CHAPTER  III. 

THE  RANKIN   SCHISM. 

Differences  about  Psalmody — Rankin's  Bigotry— His  Trial  and  Condemna- 
tion— Ilis  Pretences  to  Divine  Direction — Schism — Misrepresentations — 
Associate  Reformed — Rankin's  Biography 88 


X  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  IV. 

THE   MISSIONARIES   OF    THE    SYNOD   OF   VIRGINIA. 

Causes  of  the  Low  State  of  Religion — The  Elder  Clergy — Missionaries 
from  Virginia — Marshall — Allen — Calhoun — Campbell — Rannels — Stu- 
art— Wilson — Lyle — Other  Clergy — Cameron^Blythe — New  Presby- 
teries— Character  of  the  Early  Clergy — Kind  of  Men  needed  in  the 
West 99 

CHAPTER  V. 

THE    REVIVAL   OF    1800. 

McGready — ^Excitement  in  the  Green  river  country — Camp-Meetings — 
Cane  Ridge — Relative  Position  of  the  Clergj^ — Influence  of  the  Method- 
ists   .     .     • 131 

CHAPTER  VI. 

EXTRAVAGANCES   AND   DISORDERS   ATTENDING    THE    REVIVAL. 

Bodily  Exercises — Falling^ — -The  Jerks — Howling  Dervishes — Barking  Ex- 
ercise— Visions — Disorders  in  Public  Worship — Women  Exliorting — 
Walnut  Hill  Sacrament — Lyle's  Sermon  on  Order — Too  free  Commu- 
nication of  the  Sexes — Doctrinal  Errors — Spiritual  Pride — Censorious- 
ness 142 

CHAPTER  VII. 

DISQUISITION    ON    THE    CAUSES   OF    THE    BODILY    AGITATIONS. 

Not  an  Evil  Spirit — Not  the  Spirit  of  God — Not  Imposture — Influence  of 
Imagination  on  the  Nervous  System — Examples — Style  of  Preaching — 
Epilepsy — Subject  to  Control — Examples  of  Sympathy — Instances  of 
Bodily  Agitations  in  the  Old  World — Revival  under  Edwards — Bene- 
ficial Results — Testimony  of  Baxter,  Furman,  Lyle,  Rice,  General  As- 
sembly, Cleland,  Marshall,  McGready,  Alexander — Conclusion     .     .     .170 

CHAPTER  Vni. 

THE    NEW   LIGHT   SCHISM. 

Orthodox  and  New  Light  Parties — Synod  of  Kentucky — Trial  of  McNe- 
mar  and  Thompson — Seceding  Presbyterians  of  Springfield — Progress  of 
Enthusiasm — Apology  and  Answer — Meeting  at  Bethel — Last  Will  and 
Testament  of  Springfield  Presbytery — Plan  of  the  Christian  Church — 
Malcolm  Worley — Doings  of  Synod  and  Assembly — Houston — Contro- 
versy between  Stone  and  Campbell — Stone's  Theology — ^Devii  getting 


CONTENTS. 


XI 


the  Price — Shakers — Marshall  and  Thompson  recant — Controversy  be- 
tween Stone  and  Cleland — Marshall's  Letter  to  Stone — Alexander 
Campbell — Stoneites  merged  in  the  Campbellites — Stone — McNemar — 
Dmilavy 190 

•  .  CHAPTER  IX. 

THE    CUMBERLAND   PRESBYTERIAN   SCHISM. 

Green  river  Revival — Catechists,  or  Exhorters — Cumberland  Presbytery — 
Revival  and  Anti-Revival  Parties — Ordination  of  Exhorters — Opinion  of 
Assembly — Commission  of  Synod — Investigation — Young  Men  refuse  to 
submit — Decision — Stewart  of  Pardovan — Formation  of  a  Council — 
Withdrawal  of  McGready — Presbytery  dissolved — Warm  Discussion  in 
General  Assembly — Assembly's  Letters — Final  Decision — Hodge  and 
others  submit — New  Cumberland  Presbytery  formed  by  the  Recusants — 
Presbytery  of  Muhlenburg — Errors  in  Buck  and  Brown — Arminianism 
— Presbytery  of  Louisville — Synods  of  Ohio  and  Tennessee — Cumber- 
land Presbyterian  College  and  General  Assembly — McGready     .     .     .  223 

CHAPTER  X. 

CRAIGHEAD   AND   PELAGIANISM. 

Craighead — Commission  of  Synod — Sermon  before  Synod — Analysis  of 
Sermon — Controversy  between  Campbell  and  Craighead — Father  of 
New  Lightism — Trial  and  Deposition — Restoration — Fishback — Todd  .  264 

CHAPTER  XI. 

WAR   OF    1812. 

Trials  of  the  Church — Improved  State  of  Religion — War  with  Great  Bri- 
tain— Massacre  of  the  River  Raisin — Disastrous  Influence  of  the  War 
on  Religion — Altercation  between  Blythe  and  McCalla — Infidelity  and 
Irreligion — Proportion  attending  Public  Worship — McChord     ....  277 

CHAPTER  Xn. 

TRANSYLVANIA   UNIVERSITY    AND   CENTRE    COLLEGE. 

Transylvania  Seminary — Toulmin — Kentucky  Academy — London  Dona- 
tions— Transylvania  University — President  HoUey — Presbyterians  oust- 
ed— Socinianisra  triumphant — Col.  Morrison — McFarland's  Pamphlet- 
eer— Loss  of  Confidence — Plan  of  Reform — The  Synod  obtain  a  Charter 
— Their  Memorial — Legislative  Action — The  Baptists  draw  off — Holley 
resigns — His  Projects  and  Death — The  University  languishes — Trans- 


xu 


CONTENTS. 


fer  to  the  Methodists — Centre  College — Dr.  Blackburn — Denominational 
Education 288 

CHAPTER  Xm. 

OLD   AND     NEW   COURTS — KEVIVALS — SLAVERY.  ^ 

ReUef  Laws — Old  and  New  Courts — Powerful  Revivals — Protracted  Meet- 
ings and  Anxious  Seats — Hall — Nelson — Theological  Sgiiinary  for  the 
West — Alleghany  Town — New  Albany — Asiatic  CholCTa — Slavery — 
Church  Courts  steadily  in  favor  of  Gradual  Emancipation — Plan  of 
Committee  of  Synod — Unhappy  Influence  of  Abolitionism  on  the  Interests 
of  the  Slave  Population—  Colonization 324 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE     NEW   SCHOOL  SCHISM — CONCLUSION. 

Old  and  New  School  Parties — ^Plan  of  Union — Convention  at  Cincinnati — 
Act  and  Testimony — Action  of  Synod — Assembly  Divided — Agreement 
at  Paris — Disaffection  of  the  New  School  Party — Bowling-green — 
Stiles — Cleland — Manifesto  and  Convention  at  Versailles — Versailles 
Session  Deposed — Stiles'  Trial  and  Deposition  for  Schism — Feebleness 
of  the  Schism — John  Breckinridge — Dr.  J.  L.  Wilson — Presbyterians  of 
Kentucky — List  of  Members  of  Synod 342 


HISTOHY 


PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH  IN  KENTUCKY. 


CHAPTER    I . 

INTRODUCTORY.— SKETCH    OF    THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCHES   IN 
THE    VALLEY    OF   VIRGINIA. 

A  History,  like  a  piece  of  mosaic,  is  a  selection  from  an  infinite 
variety  of  minute  particulars,  so  arranged  as  to  form  a  perfect 
picture  ;  of  which  the  design  should  be  unique,  the  details  rich, 
the  characters  well  grouped  and  full  of  animation,  the  coloring 
warm,  and  the  background  in  keeping.  But  while  there  is  a 
resemblance  in  the  nature  and  the  difficulty  of  the  task,  the  Art- 
ist has  an  undeniable  advantage  over  the  Author,  in  being 
privileged  to  draw  at  will  from  the  stores  of  fancy,  to  heighten 
the  charms  of  his  favorite  Ideal ;  while  the  Historian,  bound  by 
more  rigid  rules,  is  forbidden  to  indulge  in  the  flowery  fields  of 
fiction,  and  must  sacrifice  the  most  tempting  embellishment  for 
the  sake  of  truth.  The  subject  of  the  following  researches  has 
but  few  attractions  for  the  poetical  and  imaginative  mind,  nor  is 
it  permitted  to  borrow  those  fascinating  arts  by  which  the  Genius 
of  Romance  can  impart  interest  even  to  border  feuds  and  high- 
land clans  ;  but  the  lover  of  nature,  it  is  hoped,  may  derive 
pleasure  from  contemplating  new  phases  of  human  character ; 
the  philosophical  inquirer,  from  tracing  the  connection  of  events 
and  their  influence  upon  each  other ;  the  canonist,  from  the 
study  of  important  precedents  and  often-quoted  decisions ;  and 
the  admirer  of  Knox  and  Melville,  from  recognizing  the  same 
elevated,  uncompromising,  and  indomitable  spirit  among  the 
cabins  and  canebrakes  of  the  Great  West,  that  formerly  stood 
2 


14  SKETCH  OF  THE  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCHES 

up  unflinching  for  Christ's  Crown  and  Covenant  at  tlie  foot  of 
the  heath-clad  Grampians. 

It  is  from  the  Kirk  of  Scotland,  in  her  days  of  depi*ession 
and  cruel  trial,  that  the  Presbyterians  of  Kentucky  delight  to  de- 
duce their  origin  ;  and  the  intermediate  links  by  which  that 
descent  is  verified,  through  the  North  of  Ireland  and  the  Valley 
of  Virginia,  may  not  improperly  occupy  a  preliminary  chapter. 

After  the  subjugation  of  Ulster,  in  the  reign  of  James  I.,  the 
semi-barbarous  natives  were  replaced  by  a  colony  of  tenants 
from  Great  Britain — attracted  thither  by  liberal  grants  of  land.* 
From  that  time  the  North  of  Ireland  went  by  the  name  of  the 
Plantation  of  Ulster.  Owing  to  the  vicinity  and  superior  enter- 
prise of  the  people  of  Scotland,  the  principal  part  of  the  new 
settlers  came  from  that  country ;  which  circumstance  after- 
wards gave  rise  to  the  appellation  of  Scotch-Irish,  denoting  not 
the  intermai-riage  of  two  races,  but  the  peopling  of  one  country 
by  the  natives  of  another,  in  the  same  manner  as  we  familiarly 
speak  of  the  Anglo-Saxons,  the  Anglo-Americans,  and  the  Indo- 
Britons.f 

The  colonists  soon  manifested  a  strong  desire  for  the  regular 
ordinances  of  public  worship ;  but  the  English  clergy  being  loth 
to  relinquish  their  comfortable  benefices,  the  Presbyterian  min- 
isters who  came  over  from  Scotland  were  thereby  left  at  liberty 
to  organize  the  majority  of  the  Churches  after  their  own  model. 
Archbishop  Usher,  more  wise  and  tolerant  than  most  of  his  or- 
der, consented  to  a  compromise  of  ecclesiastical  dilierences,  in 
consequence  of  which  there  was  no  formal  separation  from  the 
Establishment.  It  was  not  long,  however,  until  the  haughty 
Wentworth — instigated  by  that  furious  bigot.  Laud — began  to 
persecute  the  nonconformists  of  Ulster,  and  force  them  to  turn 
their  eyes  to  the  New  World,  already  known  as  an  asylum  for 
the  oppressed.  Having  built  a  ship  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 
tons  burthen,  to  which  they  gave  the  name  of  the  Eagle-wing, 
one  hundred  and  forty  of  them  embarked  for  New  England,  on 
the  9th  of  September,  1636.  But  being  driven  back  by  contrary 
winds,  they  were  compelled  to  drop  anchor  in  Loch  Fergus,  and 
finally  to  take  refuge  in  the  Western  parts  of  Scotland ;  where 
they  were  soon  joined  by  many  others,  fugitives  like  themselves 
from  fines  and  other  punishments.     Had  this  enterprise  succeed- 

*  Hume's  Engl.     c.  xlvi.     Lingard,  vol.  ix.,  p.  168. 

f  Winterbotham's  Historical  View  of  the  U.  S.,  vol.  ii.,  p.  439. 


IN  THE  VALLEY  OF  VIRGINIA.  I5 

ed,  the  Eagle-wing  might  have  attained  as  enviable  a  celebrity 
in  the  annals  of  American  colonization  as  the  more  fortunate 
Mayflower.* 

After  the  death  of  Strafford,  tranquillity  was  restored  to  Ire- 
land, and  in  1G42,  the  year  in  which  the  civ  if  war  commenced, 
and  the  year  after  the  Popish  Massacre,  the  first  Presbytery  in 
Ireland  met  at  Carrickfergus,  on  Friday,  June  lOth.f  One  of 
their  first  acts  was  to  petition  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Scot- 
tish Kirk  to  send  them  aid ;  and,  in  compliance  with  their  request, 
several  ministers  were  sent  over  during  that  and  the  two  follow- 
ing years.J  From  this  period  the  progress  of  Presbyterianism 
was  rapid,  and  many  of  the  Episcopal  clergy  came  forward  and 
joined  the  Presbytery.  Thus  was  founded  the  celebrated  Synod 
of  Ulster.§ 

With  the  Restoration  returned  Prelacy,  in  no  degree  softened 
by  its  temporary  deprivation.  Both  Charles  II.  and  James  II. 
were  bent  on  carrying  out  their  father's  policy  of  forcing  Epis- 
copacy on  Great  Britain,  under  the  impression  that  its  monarch- 
ical structure  rendered  it  a  fit  tool  for  forwarding  their  own 
despotic  views.ll 

In  England,  ever  since  the  memorable  St.  Bartholomew's 
day,  all  eyes  had  been  anxiously  directed  to  the  Transatlantic 
settlements,  notwithstanding  they  were  as  yet  a  wilderness  ;  and 
while  some  fled  to  Holland,  a  great  number,  together  with  many 
of  the  ejected  ministers,  betook  themselves  to  New  England, 
Pennsylvania,  and  other  American  plantations.^!  In  Scotland, 
fines,  imprisonments,  and  whippings,  were  abundant  from  1662, 
when  the  Act  of  Conformity  was  passed,  until  1688,  when  the 


*  Reid's  Hist,  of  the  Presb.  Church  in  Ireland,  vol.  i.  pp.  201,  205. 
■f-  Reid,  vol.  i.  p.  .371. 

I  A  remark  of  Wodrow  is  worthy  of  notice.  "  I  have  always  found,"  says 
he,  "  the  elder  Presbyterian  ministers,  in  Ireland,  reckoning  themselves  upon 
the  same  bottom  witli,  and  as  it  were,  a  branch  of,  the  Church  of  Scotland." 
Wodrow's  Hist,  of  the  Sufferings  of  the  Cliurch  of  Scotland,  vol.  i.  p.  324. 
This  citation  may  serve  to  rebut  Dr.  Hill's  sneers  about  the  Presbyterianism  of 
the  Kirk  of  Scotland,  being  widely  and  manifestly  difTerent  from  the  milder 
and  more  liberal  Irish  Presbyterianism.     Hill's  Hist,  of  Amer.  Presb.  p.  151. 

h  Reid,  vol.  i.  p.  385. 

II  "  Cut  he  judged  the  Church  of  England  to  be  a  most  fit  instrument  for  ren- 
dering the  monarchy  absolute.  On  the  other  hand,  the  Presbyterians  were 
thought  naturally  hostile  to  the  principles  of  passive  obedience."  Fox's  Hist. 
of  James  II.,  c.  ii.  p.  88. 

IT  Burnet's  Own  Times,  vol.  i.  p.  282.  Neal's  Hist,  of  the  Puritans,  vol.  iii. 
p.  264,  272.  Ilavveis'  Ch.  Hist.  vol.  ii.  p.  286.  Hutchinson's  Hist,  of  Massa- 
chusetts, vol.  i.  p.  206. 


16  SKETCH  OF  THE  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCHES 

Act  of  Toleration  gave  relief  under  the  Presbyterian  Prince  of 
Orange.  The  Western  and 'Southern  counties,  which,  accord- 
ing to  Hame,  were  the  most  populous  and  thriving,  were  the 
most  obnoxious  ;  and  the  severity  of  the  persecution  surpassed, 
in  the  judgment  if  Bishop  Burnet,  the  merciless  rigors  of  the 
Duke  of  Alva.*  Many  sold  their  estates  and  crossed  over  to 
the  Scots  of  Ulster,  where,  for  a  time,  unrestricted  liberty  was 
allowed. t  But  the  arm  of  intolerance  soon  followed  them  to 
this  retreat ;  and  the  hunted  down  nonconformists  felt  that  they 
had  no  resource  short  of  absolute  expatriation.  In  order  that 
the  fury  of  the  prelates  might  have  full  sweep,  the  Presbyterians 
and  their  ejected  ministers  were  forbidden  to  fly  into  Scotland 
to  avoid  it.J  Of  these  ejected  ministers,  both  in  Scotland  and 
Ireland,  Wodrow  gives  a  catalogue  amounting  to  four  hundred.§ 

In  consequence  of  the  persecutions  of  1679,  1G82,  and  1685, 
crowds  of  voluntary  exiles  sought  an  asylum  in  East  New  Jersey, 
Carolina  and  Maryland.  The  North  of  Ireland  shared  in  the 
general  drain.  The  arbitrary  measures  pursued  by  James  II., 
together  with  apprehensions  of  a  general  massacre  by  the  Papists, 
emboldened  as  they  were  by  the  undisguised  partiality  of  the 
king,  caused  such  multitudes,  despairing  of  safety,  to  fly  to  foreign 
climes,  that  trade  declined,  and  the  revenue  languished.]]  Suc- 
cessive emigrations  from  the  North  of  Ireland  continued  to 
pour  into  Pennsylvania  in  such  numbers,  that  by  the  year 
1705,  there  were  sufficient  Presbyterian  Churches  in  that  pro- 
vince, in  conjunction  with  those  of  the  provinces  contiguous, 
to  constitute  a  presbytery,  and  a  few  years  later,  (1717,)  a 
synod. 

While  a  portion  of  these  emigrants  preferred  the  Atlantic  slope, 
others  pushed  into  the  interior,  and  spreading  over  what  were 
then  the  frontier  counties  of  Pennsylvania,  extended  their  settle- 
ments southward,  till  they  had  crossed  the  Potomac  and  the 
Catawba.^  They  served  as  a  company  of  hardy  and  enterprising 
pioneers,  and  first  established  the  benefits  of  civilization  and 


*  Hume,  c.  Ixvi.     Burnet's  Own  Times,  vol.  ii.  p.  345. 

t  Burnet,  vol.  i.  pp.  308,  347. 

X  Wodrow,  vol.  i.  pp.  108,  342. 

§  Wodrow,  vol.  i.  p.  324,  note. 

II  Crawford's  Ireland,  vol.  ii.  p.  173.  Neal,  vol.  iii.  p.  277.  Burnet,  vol.  iii. 
p.  276.     Hume,  c.  Ixx. 

IT  Winterbotham,  vol  ii.  p.  439.  Hawks'  Eccl.  Hist,  of  Virginia,  pp.  99,  111. 
Stuart's  Reminiscences.     (West.  Presb.  Herald,  vol.  vi.  p.  85.) 


IN  THE  VALLEY  OF  VIRGINIA.  17 

Christianity  along  the  entire  frontiers  of  Virginia  and  the  Caro- 
linas.  Their  posterity  are  a  tall,  muscular,  and  industrious  race 
and  they  have  inherited  from  their  forefathers,  independence  and 
integrity  of  character,  exemplary  morals,  and  a  deep  reverence 
for  the  institutions  of  religion.*  The  Western  Virginians  have 
always  been  marked  by  strong  points  of  difference  from  the  in- 
habitants of  "  the  Old  Dominion,"  east  of  the  Blue  Ridge,  who 
rejoice  in  having  sprung  from  the  party  of  the  Cavaliers  and  the 
High  Church,  are  fonder  of  luxury  and  ease,  and  have  shown 
a  more  decided  partiality  for  the  continuance  of  slavery. 

Of  such  a  people,  who  had  exchanged  their  native  country  for 
a  wilderness,  for  conscience'  sake,  and  who  only  hugged  their 
religion  the  closer  the  more  they  were  persecuted,  it  might  rea- 
sonably be  expected,  that  they  would  deem  it  among  their  first 
duties,  like  faithful  Abraham  in  his  migrations,  to  erect  the  altar 
where  they  pitched  the  tent.  Accordingly,  we  find  among  the 
records  of  the  Synod  of  Philadelphia,  as  early  as  1719,  some 
notices  of  a  congregation  designated  as  ^^  the  people  of  Potomoke 
in  Virginia,^ ^  and  their  petition  to  have  a  minister  sent  them; 
of  which  more  will  be  said  presently. 

In  1722,  we  find  the  Synod  again  interesting  themselves  in  the 
people  of  Virginia.  The  minute  is  as  follows  : — "  A  representa- 
tion being  made  by  some  of  our  members  of  the  earnest  desires  of 
some  Protestant  dissenting  families  in  Virginia,  together  with  a 
comfortable  prospect  of  the  increase  of  our  interest  there,  the 
Synod  have  appointed,  that  Mr.  Hugh  Conn,  Mr.  John  Orme, 
and  Mr.  William  Stewart,  do  each  of  them,  severally,  visit  said 
people,  and  preach  four  Sabbaths  to  them,  between  this  and  the 
next  Synod."f  The  next  year  we  find  farther  measures  adopted 
to  continue  ministerial  supplies,  together  with  a  notice  of  a  letter 
to  the  people,  in  reply  to  a  communication  from  them ;  and  the 
year  following  (1724),  on  the  receipt  of  another  letter  from  "the 
people  of  Virginia,"  the  whole  subject  was  referred  to  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Newcastle ;  after  which  the  records  are  silent.  J     There 

♦Flint's  Hist,  and  Geography  of  tiie  U.  S.,  vol.  i.  p.  430.  The  people  living 
on  the  east  side  of  the  Blue  Ridge,  received  the  odd  sobriquet  of  Tuckahoes, 
from  a  small  stream  of  that  name ;  wliile  the  people  on  the  west  side  were  as 
oddly  denominated  Cohoes,  (pronounced  Cohoes,)  as  tradition  says,  from  their 
common  use  of  the  term  "  Quoth  he,"  or  "  Quo'  he."  These  terms  have  now 
fallen  into  disuse. 

fMin.  Syn.  of  Phil.  p.  72. 

X  Min.  Syn.  of  Phil.  p.  74.  The  early  records  of  Newcastle  Presbytery  are 
not  extant. 


18  SKETCH  OF  THE  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCHES 

was  no  part  of  Virginia,  which  at  this  period  answered  so  well 
to  the  description,  as  affording  a  comfortable  prospect  of  the 
increase  of  the  Presbyterian  interest,  as  the  region  west  of  the 
Blue  Ridge.  Organ,  the  pious  Scotch  schoolmaster,  had  not  yet 
commenced  his  useful  labors ;  *  Morris'  reading-house  was  not 
yet  established  ;t  Mr.  Makemie's  attention,  as  well  as  that  of  his 
successors,  was  chiefly  directed  to  the  eastern  shore  of  the 
Chesapeake  Bay  ;J  and  Mr.  Macky's  feeble  congregation,  on 
Elizabeth  river,  near  Norfolk,  had  long  before  this  become  extinct, 
through  persecution. §  Perhaps  the  statement  about  to  follow, 
may  contribute  to  throw  light  on  this  obscure  point. 

In  May,  1738,  upon  the  supplication  of  John  Caldwell,  for  him- 
self and  others,  the  Synod  appointed  a  deputation  to  wait  on  the 
Governor  and  Council,  "  with  suitable  instructions,  in  order  to 
procure  the  favor  and  countenance  of  the  government  of  the 
province,  to  the  laying  a  foundation  of  our  interest  in  the  back 
parts  thereof,  where  considerable  numbers  of  families  of  our  per- 
suasion are  settling  ;"  and  a  letter  was  prepared  to  be  presented 
to  the  Governor,  to  wiiich  he  replied  as  follows : 

"  Sir, — By  the  hands  of  Mr.  Anderson  I  received  an  address 
signed  by  you,  in  the  name  of  your  brethren  of  the  Synod  of 
Philadelphia.  And,  as  I  have  been  always  inclined  to  favor  the 
people  who  have  lately  removed  from  other  provinces  to  settle  on 
the  western  side  of  our  great  moimtains ;  so,  you  may  be  assured 
that  no  interruption  shall  be  given  to  any  minister  of  your  pro- 
fession who  shall  come  among  them ;  so  as  they  conform  them- 
selves to  the  rules  prescribed  by  the  Act  of  Toleration  in  England, 
by  taking  the  oaths  enjoined  thereby,  and  registering  the  places 
of  their  meeting,  and  behave  themselves  peaceably  towards  the 
government.  This  you  may  please  to  communicate  to  the 
Synod  as  an  answer  of  theirs.     Your  most  humble  servant, 

William  Gooch. 

"  Williamsburg,  JYovember  4th,  1738."1| 

So  rapid  was  the  settlement  of  the  Valley,  and  so  steadily 
flowed  the  tide   of  emigration  from  Pennsylvania  toward  its 

*  Organ  began  to  hold  religious  meetings  about  1730,  on  the  Northern  Neck, 
between  the  Potomac  and  Rappahannoc  rivers. 
fit  was  set  up  in  1743.     Miller's  Rodgers,  p.  35. 
jSpence,  p.  86. 
J  Hill's  Hist.  p.  155. 
II  Min.  Syn.  p.  145. 


IN  THE  VALLEV  OF  VIRGINIA.  19 

south-western  boundary,  that  it  was  found  necessary,  this  year, 
(1738,)  to  lay  off  all  the  country,  west  of  the  Blue  Ridge,  into 
two  new  counties  ;  Frederick,  which  comprised  the  northern 
portion,  and  Augusta,  the  southern :  Rockbridge  county,  (so 
called  from  its  famous  curiosity,  the  Natural  Bridge,)  was  not 
set  off  till  long  after  (1777).*  The  charming  valleys  and  ver- 
dant nooks,  embosomed  among  the  various  mountain  ranges, 
were  soon  dotted  with  thriving  farms ;  for  the  agricultural  life 
was  decidedly  preferred  to  being  pent  up  in  towns.  At  this 
period  there  were  but  two  cabins  where  Winchester  now 
stands  ;  nor  was  that  town  incorporated  till  1752;  and  even  at 
the  commencement  of  the  Revolution  it  contained  only  800 
inhabitants.  Staunton  was  not  established  by  law  till  1761,  nor 
Lexington  till  1777.t 

The  population  of  the  fertile  county  of  Frederick,  which  was 
first  settled,  owing  to  its  contiguity  to  Pennsylvania,  was  of  a 
mixed  sort,  consisting  of  Germans,  Quakers,  and  Irish  Presbyte- 
rians. The  latter  planted  themselves  along  the  larger  water- 
courses ;  Back  Creek,  the  South  Branch  of  Potomac,  the  North 
Mountain,  Cedar  Creek,  and  Opequon  Creek.  Here  lived  the 
ancestors  of  the  Glasses,  the  Aliens,  the  Vances,  the  Kerfoots, 
the  Whites,  the  Russells,  the  Blackburns,  and  the  Wilsons.J 

A  great  part  of  this  region,  lying  between  the  North  Moun- 
tain and  the  Shenandoah  river,  although  'now  adorned  with  the 
finest  forest  trees,  was,  at  the  period  described,  a  spacious  prairie, 
barren  of  timber,  but  clothed  with  the  richest  herbage  ;  on  which 
herds  of  buffalo,  elk,  and  deer  luxuriated.  It  was  consequently 
a  favorite  hunting-ground,  or  "  Middle  Ground,"  of  the  Indians, 
who  loved  to  resort  thither  to  pursue  the  chase.§ 

While  the  fat  lands  of  the  Shenandoah  were  eagerly  occu- 
pied by  Germans,  who  long  retained  the  primitive  di'ess  and 
manners  of  their  father-land,  Augusta  county  was  settled  by  a 
homogeneous  Scotch-Irish  population  from  Pennsylvania,  gene- 
rally respectable  for  intelligence  and  piety.  They  settled  main- 
ly on  Beverly's  and  Burden's  grants.  Beverly  was  a  resident 
of  Eastern  Virginia,  who  had  obtained  a  grant  for  a  large  quan- 

*  Kercheval's  Hist,  of  the  Valley  of  Virginia,  pp.  233, 236. 
f  Kerchcval,  pp.  238,  241 ,  243.  The  original  tovvnplot  of  Lexington  was  on  a 
diminutive  scale.    It  was  to  be  laid  off  1,300  feet  in  length,  and  900  in  width. 
X  Kercheval,  pp.  73,  81. 
I  Kercheval.  p.  69. 


20  SKETCH  OF  THE  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCHES 

tity  of  land,  which  he  offered  for  sale  at  three  pounds  per  100 
acres.  But  Burden*  had  a  tract  of  92,000  acres  adjoining,  (cov- 
ering half  of  what  is  now  Rockbridge  county,  from  the  North 
Mountain  to  the  Blue  Ridge,)  and  endeavored  to  underbid  him, 
not  only  by  giving  more  liberal  credit,  but  promising  fifty  acres 
additional  to  every  purchaser  of  250. 

The  first  settlers  on  this  tract  were  John  McDowell,  (Burden's 
Surveyor,)  and  his  brother-in-law,  James  Greenlee,  in  1737, 
near  the  present  village  of  Fairfield.  John  McDowell  was  the 
ancestor  of  the  McDowells  of  Kentucky,  and  of  the  distinguish- 
ed statesman  and  orator.  Governor  James  McDowell.  Mary 
Greenlee,  his  sister,  attained  the  age  of  a  hundred  years  and 
upwards  ;  and  was  known  through  two  or  three  generations, 
(like  Mrs.  Grant's  Aunt  Schuyler,  of  Albany,)  by  the  familiar 
appellation  of  Aunt  Mary.  None  of  the  original  owners  of 
these  great  tracts  seem  to  have  had  in  view  the  extension  of 
the  gospel,  civilization,  or  literature,  or  any  aim  beyond  the 
mere  acquisition  of  property :  but  in  consequence  of  this  the 
inhabitants  were  left  to  their  religious  liberty  without  interfer- 
ence.! 

Among  the  early  settlers  of  this  region  may  also  be  mentioned 
two  brothers,  by  the  names  of  Robert  and  Archibald  Alexander. 
Robert  was  a  graduate  of  Dublin  University,  and  a  good  classi- 
cal scholar.  He  taught  the  first  Latin  School  west  of  the  Blue 
Ridge.  His  brother  Archibald  was  the  agent  of  Benjamin  Bur- 
den, Jr.,  and  drew  up  all  his  conveyances,  which  were  very 


*  Benjamin  Burden  was  of  German  extraction,  from  the  colony  of  New  Jer- 
sey. Being  agent  of  Lord  Fairfax  for  the  Neck,  he  was  induced  to  visit  the 
Valley  in  1736  ;  and  was  so  well  pleased  that  he  secm-ed  patents  on  his  own  ac- 
count, from  Governor  Gooch,  for  500,000  acres  ;  having  ingratiated  himself  by 
the  present  of  a  fine  young  buffalo  calf.  His  grant  comprised  several  valuable 
tracts  of  land  in  Frederick  and  Augusta ;  one  of  which  is  the  92,000  acre  tract 
above  mentioned.  He  was  required  to  import,  and  place  on  said  land,  one  settler 
for  every  1000  acres.  His  number  proving  deficient,  notwithstanding  his  liberal 
inducements,  he  had  recourse  to  a  stratagem.  When  the  King's  Commissioner 
arrived,  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  whether  the  stipulation  had  been  com- 
plied with,  he  found  ninety-two  cabins,  indeed,  and  was  made  to  believe  there 
were  as  many  settlers.  A  man,  having  received  his  instructions,  was  stationed 
at  cabin  No.  1,  and  the  Commissioner,  riding  by  with  Burden's  agent,  took  note 
of  liim  accordingly.  The  Commissioner  was  then  taken  by  a  circuitous  route 
through  the  woods  to  cabin  No.  2,  where  the  same  man  who  had  been  seen  at 
No.  1,  again  presented  himself,  disguised  in  a  different  dress  ;  and  was  set  down 
as  another  settler.  Thus  the  same  individual  was  counted  several  times  over. 
— MS.  Letters  of  the  late  Edward  Graham,  of  Lexington,  Va.,  to  the  Author, 
letter  I.  For  further  particulars  of  Burden,  see  Howe's  Hist.  Collections  of 
Va.,  pp.  452,  453.  f  Graham,  Lett.  I. 


IN  THE  VALLEY  OF  VIRGINIA.  gj 

complicated,  and  are  now  regarded  as  a  great  curiosity.  He 
was  the  grandfather  of  Dr.  Archibald  Alexander,  of  Princeton. 
He  rendered  himself  very  useful  in  patronizing  promising  young 
men,  lending  them  suitable  books,  giving  them  judicious  ad- 
vice, and  endeavoring  to  make  them  intelligent  and  respectable 
members  of  society.*  Besides  the  McDowells  and  Alexanders, 
may  be  mentioned  the  families  of  the  Pattons,  the  Moores,  the 
Telfords,  the  Matthewses,  the  Prestons,  the  Paxtons,  the  Lyles, 
the  Stuarts,  the  Crawfords,  the  Cumminses,  the  Browns,  the 
Wallaces,  the  Willsons,  the  Carutherses,  the  Campbells,  the 
McCampbells,  the  McClungs,  the  McCues,  the  McKees,  the 
McCouns,  &c.  An  austere,  thoughtful  race,  they  preferred  the 
peaceful  pursuits  of  agriculture  to  the  wild  license  of  the  hunt- 
er's life,  and  constituted  a  manly  and  virtuous  yeomanry ;  of 
whom  Washington  is  reported  to  have  said,  that  should  all  his 
plans  be  crushed,  and  but  a  single  standard  left  him,  he  would 
plant  that  standard  on  the  Blue  Ridge,  make  the  mountain 
heights  his  barrier,  and  rallying  round  him  the  noblest  patriots 
of  the  Valley,  found,  under  better  auspices,  a  new  republic  in  the 
West.f 

More  fortunate  than  the  Dissenters  in  "  the  Ancient  Domin- 
ion," the  Presbyterians  of  the  Valley  enjoyed,  from  their  first 
settlement,  the  liberty  of  worshipping  God  according  to  the 
custom  of  their  forefathers,  unnoticed  and  unmolested.  This 
immunity  is  not  to  be  ascribed  either  to  the  leniency  of  the 
Government,  as  some  have  pretended,  since  the  laws  were 
severe  and  their  enforcement  rigid  ;J  nor  to  the  tolerant  temper 

*  Graham,  Letter  VI.     f  Howe's  Hist.  Coll.  of  Va.  p.  453. 

I  By  the  law  of  1618,  absentees  from  the  parish  church  were  punished  by  a 
fine  and  a  night  in  the  stocks,  and,  for  the  third  offence,  by  being  made  slaves 
to  the  Colony  for  a  year  and  a  day.  Grahame's  Hist,  of  the  U.  S.,  vol.  i.,  p, 
165  ;  Holmes'  Amer.  Annals,  vol.  i.,  p.  194  ;  Burk's  Hist,  of  Va.,  app.  p.  xiv  ; 
Stith's  Hist,  of  Va.  p.  148.  Dr.  Hawks  has  adduced,  in  proof  of  the  liberality 
of  the  government,  its  indulgence  to  tlie  French  refugees  and  German  emi- 
grants. Hist,  of  the  Prot.  Episc.  Church  in  Virginia,  pp.  78,  81,  94.  Yet  the 
same  pen  has  recorded  the  banishment  of  the  Congregational  Missionaries  in 
1643,  p.  53;  the  subsequent  imprisonment  of  many  of  the  congregation  they  had 
gathered,  and  the  expulsion  of  the  pastor  Harrison,  p.  57  ;  the  heavy  fines  im- 
posed upon  the  Quakers,  p.  68;  the  imprisonment  of  the  Baptists,  p.  121 ;  the 
repeated  fining  of  Mr.  Moms  and  the  Presbyterians,  p.  107  ;  and  the  frequent 
and  vexatious  opposition  of  the  Colonial  Courts  to  Mr.  Davies'  claim  to  the 
extension  of  the  Act  of  Toleration,  even  when  lie  was  provided  with  a  license, 
p.  109.  It  is  not  in  this  instance  alone  thattliis  historian  has  given  facts  a  color- 
ing favorable  to  his  prejudices  ;  his  brethren  of  his  own  sect  have  censured  the 
neglect  with  which  he  has  treated  the  memory  of  that  devoted  servant  of 
Christ,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Jarratt,  because  he  was  not  a  High-Churchman. 


22  SKETCH  OF  THE  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCHES 

of  the  established  clergy,  who  always  showed  suf^cient  alert- 
ness in  rousing  the  secular  arm,*  while  many  of  them  were  so 
dissolute  as  to  be  a  disgrace  to  their  calling.f  It  was  rather 
owing,  in  part,  to  their  secluded  situation  and  remoteness 
from  the  seat  of  government,  and,  in  part,  to  the  absence  of 
glebe-lands.J 

Presbyterian  congregations  existed  in  the  Valley  of  Virginia 
very  early  in  the  last  century,  though  they  were  not  supplied 
with  the  ministrations  of  regular  pastors  until  long  afterward. 
"  The  People  of  Potomoke,"  believed  to  be  identical  with  the 
congregations  of  Falling  Water  and  Tuscarora,  near  the 
present  town  of  Martinsburg,  were  supplied  by  the  Synod  of 
Philadelphia  at  their  request,  in  1719.§  In  compliance  with 
their  desire  to  have  "  an  able  gospel  minister  to  settle  among 
them,"  the  Rev.  Daniel  Magill||  was  appointed  to  visit  and 
preach  to  them,  with  a  view  to  settlement ;  and,  after  a  stay  of 
some  months,  he  reported,  the  following  year,  that  he  had  "  put 
the  people  into  church  order."  This  is  the  earliest  authentic 
notice  we  have  of  a  regularly  organized  congregation  in  the 

*  Taylor's  Lives,  pp.  79,  121,  122,  143,  148  ;  Kercheva],  pp.  87,  88  ;  Miller's 
Rodgers,  p.  47. 

f  Most  of  the  established  clergy  felt  no  interest  in  the  Church  beyond  the 
16,000  pounds  of  tobacco,  which  constituted  their  annual  stipend;  and  which, 
at  ten  shillings  per  hundred,  was  worth  £80,  but  generally  double  that  sum. 
Beverley,  apud  Burk,  vol.  ii.,  app.  p.  xiii.  Tliey  gave  themselves  up  to  worldly 
and  frivolous  amusements,  such  as  horse-racing,  cock-fighting,  fox-hunting  and 
carousing.  Hawks,  pp.  65,  117,  120.  Such  were  the  men  to  whom  Jane  Tay- 
lor's sarcasm  may,  with  too  much  truth,  be  applied : 

"  Who,  while  they  hate  the  Goi!;;ri,   love  the  Church." 

X  "  On  the  west  side  of  the  Blue  Ridge,  a  large  proportion  of  the  first  settlers 
were  dissenters.  Nor  did  they,  as  far  as  I  can  learn,  ever  meet  with  any  serious 
obstructions  from  government."  Dr.  Hoge's  Letter  in  1813,  apud  Campbell's 
Hist,  of  Virginia,  p.  304.  Dr.  Hawks  admits  that  "  tliey  were  so  far 
removed  from  the  seat  of  the  Colonial  government,  that  tliey  encountered  but 
little  opposition  from  the  ruling  powers."     Hist.  p.  99. 

\  Min.  Syn.  Phil.,  pp.  65,  58.  "  It  is  said  that  the  spot  where  Tuscarora 
Meeting-House  now  stands,  in  the  county  of  Berkley,  is  the  first  place  where  the 
gospel  was  publicly  preached  and  divine  service  performed  west  of  the  Blue 
Ridge.  This  was,  and  still  continues,  a  Presbyterian  edifice.  .  .  .  There 
was  a  house  erected  for  public  worship  at  the  P^'alling  Water,  about  the  same 
time  that  the  Tuscarora  Meeting-House  was  built.  Both  these  Churches  are 
now  under  the  pastoral  care  of  the  Rev.  James  M.  Brown."  Kercheval,  p.  83. 
It  is  worthy  of  examination,  however,  whether  "  the  people  of  Potomoke"  may 
not  be  identical  with  a  congregation  in  Fauquier,  long  since  extinct. 

II  Mr.  Magill  came  from  Scotland  in  1713,  at  the  solicitation  of  some  Scotch 
merchants  in  London,  who  were  desirous  of  procuring  a  minister  for  their  friends 
trading  on  the  Patuxent,  or  Upper  Marlboro'.  He  ministered  among  them  till 
his  mission  to  Virginia  in  1719.  Glances  at  the  Past,  No.  III.  Presb.  Apl.  18, 
1846.     He  was  an  austere  man,  but  admired  as  a  preacher.    He  died  in  1723. 


IN  THE  VALLEY  OF  VIRGINIA.  28 

A^'alley.  Mr.  Magill  ministered  so  much  to  their  satisfaction, 
that  they  sent  up  an  urgent  petition  for  his  services  as  their 
pastor,  hut  he  saw  fit  to  dechne  the  call. 

OpEauoN,  so  called  from  the  creek  of  that  name,  five  miles 
south-west  of  Winchester,  claims  to  be  one  of  the  oldest  churches 
in  the  State,  after  those  of  Makemie's  planting.  The  present 
stone  edifice,  which  stands  under  the  shade  of  a  venerable  old 
grove,  is  the  third  structure  in  which  the  congregation  has 
worshipped.  In  the  graveyard  is  a  time-worn  headstone,  which 
tells  that  they  who  slumber  beneath  came  from  Ireland  in  1737.* 
Around  repose  the  ancestors  of  the  Marcuses,  the  Gilkersons, 
the  Aliens,  the  Vances,  the  Glasses,  and  the  Hoges.  The  land 
was  originally  given  by  William  Hoge,  whose  residence  was 
adjoining,  the  uncle  of  the  first  pastor,  and  the  grandfather  of 
Dr.  Moses  Hoge.f 

The  missionaries  sent  by  the  Synod  of  Philadelphia  south- 
ward, used  to  stop  and  preach  here  ;  among  them,  Mr.  Robinson, 
on  that  famous  tour  which  made  him  acquainted  with 
Morris  and  his  friends.  The  first  minister  of  Opequon  was  the 
Rev.  John  Hoge,  who  served  the  congregation  many  years, 
until  his  removal  to  Pennsylvania,  where  he  died.  He  was 
succeeded  by  Montgomery,  Nash  Legrand,  Shannon,  Chapman, 
&c.  The  Church  has  enjoyed  many  revivals  of  religion,  espe- 
cially during  the  ministry  of  Mr.  Legrand,  when  large  additions 
were  received.  A  great  number  shortly  after  migrated  to  Ken- 
tucky, and,  while  the  Church  they  left  was  weakened  by  their 
removal,  contributed  to  build  up  new  congregations  in  that 
distant  region. J 

The  earliest  congregation  formed  in  Augusta  county  was 
Augusta  Church,  then  known  familiarly  as  the  Stone  Meeting - 


*  The  inscription,  rudely  chiselled,  is  almost  obliterated  and  illegible.  On 
one  side  it  reads  :  "  John  Wilson  inteked  here  the  bodys  of  his  2  chh-der 
fc  WIFE  YD  mother  Mary-^  Marcus  WHO  DYED  Agst  THE  4th  1743  Aged  22 
YEARS."  On  the  reverse,  "  From  Irland  July  vi  1737  Coty  Armaghs."  The 
Rev.  Mr.  Foote  informs  me  that  none  of  the  Iloges  or  Glasses  came  earlier 
than  1735;  and  that  there  is  no  evidence  of  any  white  settler  in  the  county  as 
early  as  1730. 

f  In  the  MS.  Life  of  Dr.  Moses  Hoge,  the  Rev.  John  B.  Hoge  says  that  the 
Rev.  Samuel  Gclston,  of  Donegal  Presbytery,  was  sent  to  Opequon  (or  Ope- 
quhon),  in  1737,  and  probably  at  that  time  organized  the  Church.  See  those 
admirable  papers.  Glances  at  the  Past,  No.  III.,  Prcsb.  Apl.  18,  1846.  But  Mr. 
Gelston's  name  is  not  on  the  records  of  the  Synod  that  year,  nor  is  there  any 
mention  of  such  a  mission. 

I  Prot.  and  Herald,  Jan.  12,  1843. 


24  SKETCH  OF  THE  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCHES 

House.  It  stands  about  eight  miles  below  Staunton.  Next 
was  formed  the  congregation  of  Tinkling  Spring,  half-a-dozen 
miles  east  of  the  same  place.  They  were  originally  a  joint 
charge.*  Their  first  pastor  was  the  Rev.  John  Craig,  a  native 
of  the  North  of  Ireland,  who  was  called  in  1739,  and  ordained  by 
the  Presbytery  of  Donegal  the  following  year.  He  served  the 
two  congregations,  jointly,  for  twenty-five  years,  till  1764,  when 
he  relinquished  the  care  of  the  latter,  and  confined  his  labors  to 
Augusta  alone.  The  people,  whom  he  found  few  and  poor  and 
without  order,  he  had  the  satisfaction  of  leaving  a  numerous 
and  wealthy  congregation,  well  able  to  support  the  Gospel,  and 
of  good  repute.  Mr.  Craig  espoused  the  Old  Side,  in  the 
division  of  1741,  uniting  with  that  party  which  was  suspicious 
of  the  revival  under  Whitefield  and  the  Tennants,  and  preferred 
cool,  moderate,  doctrinal  preaching.  He  was  a  strong-minded 
diligent,  and  persevering  minister,  strictly  orthodox,  and  yet 
pungent  in  the  application  of  the  truth  to  the  conscience.  His 
discourses  were  decidedly  Calvinistic,  and  prepared  in  the  old 
formal  scholastic  style,  abounding  in  minute  divisions  and  sub- 
divisions, verging  to  what,  in  these  degenerate  days,  would  be 
accounted  tediousness.f  He  was  considered  a  good  man,  and  was 
much  beloved  by  his  people,  his  memory  being  to  this  day  held 
in  veneration  in  that  region  ;  but  he  was  lax  in  church  discipline, 
the  bad  effects  of  which  were  felt  long  after  his  death.J     After 


*  Graham,  Lett.  I. 

f  This  is  apparent  from  a  perusal  of  the  sermon  before  alhided  to,  the  only 
one  ever  printed.  The  text  was,  2  Sam.  xxiii.  5,  "  Yet  he  hath  made  with  me  an 
everlasting  covenant,  ordered  in  all  things,  and  sure  ;  for  this  is  all  my  salvation, 
and  all  my  desire."  The  sermon  follows  the  exhaustive  method,  and  contains 
fifty-five  divisions  and  subdivisions.  The  style  is  plain,  unadorned,  and  stren- 
uous ;  and  it  is  a  manly  testimony  to  Calvinism.  See  Bait.  Mag.,  vol.  vi.,  p. 
642.  Mr.  Craig  walked  five  miles  to  his  church.  The  morning  service  con- 
tinued from  10  o'clock  till  12.  After  an  hour's  recess,  the  afternoon  service 
lasted  from  1  o'clock  till  sunset ;  and  sometimes  it  was  so  late  that  the  Clerk 
found  it  difficult  to  read  the  last  psalm.     Graham,  Lett.  VIIL 

\  An  anecdote  is  told  of  his  having  been  sent  by  Hanover  Presbytery  to 
organize  churches  and  ordain  elders,  among  the  settlements  on  New  River  and 
Holstein.  On  his  return  he  reported  a  surprising  number  of  elders  whom  he 
had  ordained  ;  and  on  being  questioned  how  he  found  suitable  materials  for  so 
many,  he  replied,  in  his  rich  brogue,  "  Whei'e  I  nulna  get  heum  staites,  I  tiik 
dornacks."  A  dornack  is  a  rough  mis-shapen  stone,  generally  rejected  by 
builders.  Graham,  Lett.  VIIL  Another  anecdote  may  be  inserted  here,  on 
the  same  authority,  illustrative  of  the  indomitable  pertinacity  which  formed  a 
prominent  characteristic  of  himself  and  his  people.  Tinkling  Spring  Meeting- 
House  was  built  upon  a  pleasant  hill,  with  a  beautiful  clear  spring  gushing 
from  its  side,  which  gave  rise  to  the  name.  Mr.  Craig  was  opposed  to  the  site, 
preferring  another,  more  central.     When  he  found  himself  overruled,  he  declared 


IN  THE  VALLEY  OF  VIRGINIA.  25 

Braddock's  defeat,  when  the  frontier  lay  exposed  to  the  incur- 
sions of  the  savages,  Mr.  Craig,  with  his  characteristic  resolute- 
ness, refused  to  fly,  and  encouraged  his  people  to  remain  and 
build  stockades  for  their  protection.  Augusta  Church  was 
fortified  with  mounds  and  ditches,  the  remains  of  which  are  seen 
to  this  day.  The  inhabitants,  in  consequence  of  these  precautions, 
maintained  possession  of  their  cabins  and  clearings  with  but  little 
loss,  although  the  Redskins  were  often  seen  prowling  in  the 
vicinity.  The  constant  uneasiness  and  alarm  in  which  they 
were  kept,  may  be  inferred  from  the  fact  of  all  the  men  carrying 
their  rilles  to  church  with  them,  and  posting  sentries  on  the 
look-out.* 

Owing  to  their  distance  from  Philadelphia,  Mr.  Craig,  and 
other  ministers  residing  in  the  Valley  of  A^irginia,  (and,  indeed, 
the  whole  Presbytery  of  Hanover),  were  frequently  absent  from 
the  meetings  of  the  Synod.  The  Synod,  however,  were  very 
tenacious  on  this  point,  and  insisted  on  more  punctual  attend- 
ance, even  threatening  to  disown  them.  In  consequence  of  this 
threat,  Messrs.  Craig  and  Black  made  their  appearance  in  1759, 
the  year  after  the  reunion  of  the  Synods  of  New  York  and 
Philadelphia  ;  but  although  Mr.  Craig's  name  ocasionally  appears 
after  this  on  missionary  appointments  or  an  installation,  he 
never  met  again  with  the  Synod.  His  death  took  place  fifteen 
years  afterwards,  in  April,  1774.f 

The  Rev.  William  Wilson,  a  pupil  of  Mr.  Graham,  succeed- 
ed Mr.  Craig  in  the  pastoral  charge  of  Augusta  Church.  J  Mr. 
Wilson  taught  a  Grammar  School  also  ;  and  was  so  familiar 
with  the  Greek  and  Latin  classics,  that,  by  the  help  of  an 
extraordinary  memory,  he  could  repeat  a  large  part  of  Homer 
and  Virgil  by  heart.  After  him  Dr.  Conrad  Speece  was 
chosen  pastor.  Dr.  Speece  was  of  German  extraction.  His 
precocious  talents  attracted  the  notice  of  the  late  Edward 
Graham,  brother  of  the  Rector;  who,  with  some  difficulty, 
extorted  permission  from  his  father  to  educate  him  without 
compensation.  His  progress  in  the  Latin  Grammar  was  very 
slow,  but  this  was  owing  to  the  analytical  turn    of  his  mind, 

in  the  heat  of  his  feelings,  "  that  none  of  that  water  should  ever  tinkle  down  his 
throat."  The  vow,  so  rashly  made,  was,  nevertheless,  scrupr.lously  kept ;  and, 
though  he  afterwards  was  known  to  rinse  his  parched  moutli  in  midsummer,  he 
never  permitted  himself  to  swallow  a  drop. 

*  Viator,  Prot.  and  Her.  June  13,  1844. 

t  Min.  Syn.  N.  Y.  and  Phil.  pp.  289,  451. 

I  Graham,  Lett,  II.    Dr.  Alexander's  lietter,  Prot.  and  Her.  vol,  X.  No.  36. 


26  SKETCH  OF  THE  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCHES 

which  examined  and  compared  the  various  parts  carefully, 
so  that  when  he  had  reached  the  end,  he  was  a  thorough 
master  of  the  philosophy  of  the  language,  and  in  six  months 
was  able  to  read  a  Latin  book  with  ease.  This  was  about 
the  age  of  fourteen.  He  was  afterwards  engaged  as  a  tutor 
in  Hampden  Sydney,  during  which  time  his  mind  was  trou- 
bled on  the  subject  of  immersion,  and  he  joined  the  Baptists. 
They  immediately  set  him  to  preaching,  but  it  was  not  very 
long  before  he  became  alienated  from  his  new  creed  and  con- 
nection, and  gladly  returned  to  the  Presbyterian  Church.  After 
his  licensure  by  Hanover  Presbytery  he  preached  in  Montgom- 
ery county,  and  for  some  years  in  Powhatan,  when  he  was 
called  to  Augusta  Church ;  in  the  charge  of  which  congregation 
he  continued  till  his  death,  in  1835.  Dr.  Speece  was  a  man  of 
extensive  reading,  extraordinary  abilities,  and  notwithstanding 
his  gross  and  unwieldy  habit,  of  a  refined  taste  and  tender  feel- 
ings. He  was  a  fine  classical  and  belles-lettres  scholar ;  and  he 
possessed  a  remarkably  choice  and  valuable  library,  which  he 
intended  to  bequeath  to  some  literary  institution,  but  his  sudden 
decease  frustrated  the  design.  A  collection  of  fugitive  essays  of 
his  was  published  under  the  title  of  "  The  Mountaineer."  His 
fluency  and  correctness  in  public  speaking  were  astonishing  ;  and 
he  reprobated  the  practice  of  committing  sermons  to  memory. 
In  deliberative  bodies  his  judgment  was  habitually  deferred  to, 
and  his  opinions  carried  great  weight.  The  attributes  of  his 
mind  were  comprehension,  clearness,  and  force.  He  never  at- 
tempted the  pathetic,  but  his  forte  was  convincing  argument,  of 
the  cumula,tive  sort,  ending  in  an  overpowering  climax.  His 
foible  was  the  opposite  of  prodigality ;  a  habit  probably  induced 
by  the  narrowness  of  his  early  circumstances.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded by  the  Rev.  William  Brown,  who  still  sustains  the  pas- 
toral relation. 

Upon  the  retirement  of  Mr.  Craig  from  Tinkling  Spring,  in 
1764,  the  congregation  invited,  as  his  successor,  the  Rev.  Jambs 
Waddel,D.  D.,  since  immortalized  by  the  elegant  pen  of  Mr.  Wirt, 
as  "  The  Blind  Preacher."  Mr.  Waddel  declined  the  call  at  that 
time,  but  on  its  being  renewed  in  177G,  (during  which  interval 
of  twelve  years  the  Church  had  lain  vacant,)  he  accepted  it,  his 
shattered  health  requiring  the  bracing  mountain  air.* 

*  Memoir  of  Dr.  Waddel,  by  his  grandson,  Dr.  James  W.  Alexander,  No.  II. 
Watchman  of  the  South,  and  Prot.  and  Her.  Oct.  24th,  1844. 


IN  THE  VALLEY  OF  VIRGINLV.  27 

This  celebrated  divine  was  born  in  the  North  of  Ireland,  in 
1739,  but  emigrated  to  Western  Pennsylvania  at  an  early  age. 
He  was  educated  at  Dr.  Finlay's  Nottingham  Academy,  and 
designed  to  practice  medicine,  but  encountering  Mr,  Daviess, 
was  dissuaded  from  his  purpose.  He  then  studied  theology  with 
the  Rev.  John  Todd,  and  was  licensed  in  1762.  He  preached 
with  great  acceptance  on  the  Northern  Neck,  till  his  constitu- 
tion was  ruined  by  the  fever  of  the  country.  He  then  removed 
to  Tinkling  Spring  Church,  where  his  health  was  soon  restored. 
At  this  period  of  his  life  he  was  remarkable  for  his  tall  and  erect 
person,  his  dignified  and  graceful  mien,  and  his  elegant  man- 
ners. 

He  was  a  man  of  strong  character,  and  great  personal  intre- 
pidity, which  was  not  only  exemplified  in  his  boldness  in  the 
pulpit,  but  in  some  signal  instances  of  patriotic  zeal  during  the 
revolutionary  war. 

In  1783,  Mr.  Waddel  organized  a  congregation  at  Staunton, 
to  whom  he  preached  on  alternate  Sabbaths.  The  joint  salary 
was  forty-five  pounds.  Two  or  three  years  after,  he  removed 
to  an  estate  of  a  thousand  acres  he  had  purchased  in  Louisa, 
where  he  taught  a  select  school,  of  which  the  late  Gov.  Barbour, 
David  Rice,  and  Meriwether  Lewis,  the  explorer  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  were  pupils.  He  was  a  fine  classical  scholar,  and 
had  a  keen  relish  for  literature.  After  his  removal  to  Louisa, 
he  lost  his  sight  from  cataract,  but  still  continued  to  preach ; 
and  it  was  during  this  period  that  Mr.  Wirt  was  thrilled  by  his 
eloquence  in  the  secluded  little  Church  in  Orange  county.  He 
died  September  17th,  1805. 

The  testimonies  to  Dr.  Waddel's  surpassing  eloquence  are 
numerous  and  unquestionable.  Like  his  celebrated  compeer, 
Patrick  Henry,  he  had,  in  early  life,  caught  inspiration  from  the 
lips  of  the  seraphic  Davieg.f  His  oratory  was  simple,  majestic 
and  impassioned.  It  glowed  with  the  peculiar  fire  of  the  South. 
It  was  of  that  sort  that  electrifies  an  audience,  and  sways  their 
emotions  at  will,  as  the  trees  of  the  forest  bend  before  the  wind. 
Now,  he  rebuked  the  formalist  with  stinging  sarcasm ;  now,  he 


f  When  Henry  was  a  lad,  ho  used  to  drive  Iiis  mother  in  a  gig  to  tlie  places 
in  Hanover  where  Mr.  Davies  preached  ;  and,  in  after  life,  was  in  the  hahit  of 
speaking  of  the  eloquence  which  he  then  heard,  as  closely  connected  with  his 
own  successful  efforts.    Memoir,  No.  III. 


28  SKETCH  OF  THE  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCHES 

swept  away  the  objections  of  infidelity  with  a  torrent  of  scornful 
argument ;  now,  he  portrayed  the  scenes  of  sacred  story  with 
such  vividness  and  delicacy  of  touch,  that  everything  seemed,  by 
a  startling  illusion,  to  be  taking  place  that  very  moment ;  now, 
he  dwelt  on  the  passion  of  our  Lord  with  such  melting  pathos, 
and  faltering  voice,  that  his  hearers  and  himself  were  carried 
away  by  an  irrepressible  gush  of  feeling  ;  and  groans,  sobs  and 
shrieks  burst  from  the  whole  congregation. 

Governor  Barbour  was  his  enthusiastic  admirer,  and  declared 
that  he  surpassed  all  orators  whom  he  had  ever  known.  Patrick 
Henry  himself  pronounced  Davies  and  Waddel  the  greatest  ora- 
tors of  the  age.  But  the  most  memorable  tribute  to  his  genius 
was  that  paid  by  Wirt,  in  the  description  of  "  The  Blind  Preach- 
er," in  his  British  Spy,  *  which  is  so  familiar  to  every  one,  as  to 
require  but  a  bare  allusion  in  this  place.  In  regard  to  this  ad- 
mirable portraiture,  Mr.  Wirt  was  afterwards  known  to  say,  that 
so  far  from  heightening  its  colors,  he  had  rather  fallen  below  the 
truth.  He  hesitated  not  to  express  his  persuasion  that,  in  a  dif- 
ferent species  of  oratory,  Waddel  was  fully  equal  to  Patrick 
Henry.  In  him  were  blended  "the  poet's  hand  and  prophet's 
fire." 

The  next  congregation,  in  time,  of  which  we  have  any  intima- 
tion is  the  neighboring  one  of  Rockfish,  at  the  gap  and  river  of 
the  same  name.  About  1744,  the  Rev.  Samuel  Black  was  set- 
tled here.  He  had  been  ordained  by  the  Presbytery  of  Donegal 
eight  years  before,  and  had  been  employed  in  preaching  in  Penn- 
sylvania. Having  sustained  the  pastoral  relation  at  Rockfish  for 
the  long  period  of  twenty-seven  years,  he  died  in  1771. f 

In  1750,  a  supplication  appears  on  the  Minutes  of  the  Synod 
of  Philadelphia,  from  Brown  Meeting-House,  in  Augusta,  under 
the  North  Mountain ;  and  a  committee  was  appointed  to  visit 


*  Letters  of  a  British  Spy,  Lett.  VII.  Mr.  Wirt  allowed  himself  some  license 
in  grouping-  to'jether  circunistantials  of  time,  place  and  manner,  whicli  he  had 
noticed  on  various  occasions,  being  well  acquainted  with  Dr.  W.  and  his  family. 
For  example,  lie  represented  him  as  preaching  in  a  white  linen  cap.  This  was, 
indeed,  a  part  of  his  costume  at  home,  but  when  he  went  abroad  he  always  wore 
a  full-bottomed  white  wio-.  Neither  was  the  name  of  Dr.  Waddel  so  unknown 
in  Virginia,  as  tlie  "  Spy"  intimated.  Among  a  particular  class,  indeed — tlie  ex- 
treme High  Church  party — who  make  it  a  point  to  know  nothing  out  of  their 
own  contracted  circle,  such  ignorance  is  very  conceivable.     Memoir,  No.  III. 

t  Min.  Syn.  Phil.  pp.  129,  411.  Hodge,  vol.  ii.  p.  258.  Rockfish  was  not, 
indeed,  in  the  Valley,  properly  speaking,  but  was  on  its  edge,  and  settled  by  the 
overflow  of  its  population. 


IN  THE  VALLEY  OF  VIRGINIA. 


29 


them,  and  regulate  their  affairs  ;  but  the  committee  not  coming 
together,  nothing  wa§  done.  It  is  the  same  with  the  present 
church  of  Hebroi%  It  was  afterwards  divided  into  two  congre- 
gations, in  the  time  of  the  Rev.  Ahchibald  Scott,  a  native  of 
Scotland,  who  was  educated  in  Princeton  College,  and  studied 
theology  with  the  Rev.  William  Graham.*  He  is  said  to  have 
been  originally  a  laboring  man,  and  to  have  pored  over  his  book 
while  his  horses  were  feeding.  He  afterwards  conducted  an 
academy,  in  Augusta  county,  of  high  reputation,  at  which  Dr. 
Campbell  laid  the  foundation  of  his  accurate  scholarship.f  Mr. 
Scott  was  greatly  esteemed  in  his  day.  The  ministerial  charac- 
ter seems  hereditary  in  his  family,  as  a  son  and  grandson  of  his 
are  both  in  the  sacred  office  in  Virginia. 

In  1753,  Mr.  Alexander  Miller,  from  the  parish  of  Ardstraw, 
in  Ireland,  applied  to  the  Synod  to  be  admitted  as  a  minister. 
He  acknowledged  that  he  had  been  degraded  from  the  sacred 
office  by  every  Irish  court,  up  to  that  of  the  last  resort ;  but  com- 
plained of  having  been  hardly  and  unjustly  treated.  The  Synod 
declined  receiving  him  until  they  should  better  understand  the 
facts  in  his  case,  and  warned  all  their  societies  not  to  give  him 
encouragement  until  his  character  should  be  cleared.  In  1755, 
he  again  appeared  before  the  Synod,  and  begged  them  to  pro- 
cure a  reconciliation  between  the  Synod  of  Dungannon,  or  the 
Presbytery  of  Letterkenny,  and  himself;  and  for  this  purpose, 
he  delivered  in  wi-iting  a  penitential  acknowledgment,  to  be  trans- 
mitted to  them  ;  which  was  done.  The  next  year  a  supplication 
was  received  from  the  congregations  of  Cook's  Creek  and  Peeked 
Mountain,^  (near  Harrisonburg,)  requesting  that  Mr.  Miller 
might  be  received,  and  installed  as  their  pastor.  The  Synod 
ordered,  that  in  case  the  Synod  of  Ireland  should  either  send  no 
answer  that  summer,  or  inform  them  of  his  submission  being  ac- 
cepted, Messrs.  Black  and  Craig  should  receive  him  as  a  member 
and  instal  him,  provided  they  should  find  his  conduct  in  that  part 
of  Christ's  vineyard  such  as  became  a  gospel  minister.  This 
installation,  it  is  worthy  of  note,  was  ordered  by  a  synodical  act 
and  conducted  by  a  committee  of  Synod.     No  Presbytery  ap- 


*  Min.  Syn.  Phil.  pp.  19G,  198 ;  Graham,  Letter  II.,  VIII.     f  Bishop  p.  214. 
I  Or,  Pecked  Mountain,  as  it  is  spelled  in  the  Minutes.     This  is  supposed  to 
be  the  same  with  Mossy  Creek  congregation. 
3 


30  SKETCH  OF  THE  PRESBYTEIUAN  CHURCHES 

pears  to  have  been  consulted  on  the  occasion.  Whether  the 
necessary  information  failed  to  reach  the  committee,  or  whether 
further  delay  was  deemed  advisable,  nothing^vas  done  ;  and  the 
next  year,  (1'757,)  on  the  people  of  Cook's  Creek  and  Pecked 
Mountain  renewing  their  supplication,  the  Synod  unanimously 
received  Mr.  Miller,  and  directed  Mr.  Craig  to  instal  him  accord- 
ingly, before  the  first  of  August  ensuing.  Mr.  Craig  was  also 
directed  to  give  him  to  understand  that  he  ought  to  be  content 
with  the  bounds  fixed  by  the  committee  of  installation.  This 
brief  intimation  seems  to  foreshadow  the  possibility  of  the  new 
member  giving  trouble. 

Eight  years  afterward,  the  Presbytery  of  Hanover,  finding 
crimes  of  an  atrocious  nature  justly  laid  to  his  charge,  deposed 
Mr.  Miller  from  the  ministry.  After  waiting  four  years  he  ap- 
pealed to  Synod,  and  on  their  declining  to  reverse  the  sentence, 
and  requiring  the  Presbytery  and  himself  to  appear  before 
them  at  their  next  meeting,  (he  meantime  being  suspended  from 
the  ministerial  office,)  he  handed  in  a  paper,  in  which  he  re- 
nounced the  authority  of  the  Synod.  Hereupon  the  Synod 
declared  him  no  longer  a  member  of  their  body  ;  and  forbade 
all  their  Presbyteries  and  congregations  to  employ  him.* 

The  population  of  the  Valley  had  increased  so  rapidly  by  the 
middle  of  the  century,  as  to  have  far  outstripped  the  supply  of 
the  means  of  grace ;  and  their  destitution  formed  a  constant 
subject  of  anxiety  to  both  the  Synods — that  of  Philadelphia  and 
that  of  New  York.  In  the  year  1742,  in  consequence  of  the 
earnest  entreaty  "  of  several  of  the  back  inhabitants  of  Vir- 
ginia," to  that  effect,  the  Synod  of  Philadelphia  sent  a  letter  to 
the  General  Assembly  of  the  Kirk  of  Scotland,  and  the  next 
year  another,  laying  before  them  the  low  and  melancholy  con- 
dition of  the  infant  Church  in  America,  both  for  want  of  proba- 
tioners and  ministers  in  their  vacancies  and  new  settlements,  and 
entreating  that  such  might  be  sent  them,  and  supported  in  part 
out  of  the  Assembly's  fund  for  some  years.  A  modest  sugges- 
tion was  added  that  they  would  be  pleased  to  furnish  the  means 
in  some  measure,  or  by  some  method,  of  erecting  a  seminary  for 
educating  young  men  for  these  ends  among  themselves.  Some 
gentlemen  of  influence  in  Virginia  were  likewise  addressed,  and 

*  Min.  Syn.  Phil.  pp.  209,  217, 222,  224.  Min.  Syn.  N.  Y.  and  Phil.  pp.  394, 396, 


IN  THE  VALLEY  OF  VIRGINIA.  3j 

requested  to  further  the  application  to  the  Assembly.*  Two 
years  afterward  the  Synod  established  a  school,  and  appointed 
Dr.  Francis  Alison  its  master,  with  a  salary  of  twenty  pounds  per 
annum. 

For  a  series  of  years,  (from  1748,)  the  Synod  of  Philadelphia 
annually  sent  missionaries  into  the  Valley  of  Virginia  ;  some- 
times two,  to  labor  two  weeks,  three  weeks,  or  three  months, 
each  ;  sometimes  three,  to  spend  three  months  each,  in  succes- 
sion;  in  1756,  John  Allison  to  supply  Virginia  and  North  Caro- 
lina during  the  fall  and  winter;  and  in  1774,  two  to  labor  one 
year  each,  in  addition  to  other  assistance.!  The  settled  minis- 
ters of  the  Valley  were  not  exempted  from  their  turns.  Mr. 
Craig  was  several  times  appointed  to  such  services.  In  1751,  he 
was  sent  to  supply  Roanoke,  Reedy  Cbeek,  and  the  South 
Branch  of  the  Potomac  ;  in  1752,  agreeably  to  their  request, 
to  the  contiguous  congregations  of  North  and  South  Moun- 
tains, Timber  Grove,  (which  we  shall  presently  meet  with  again, 
under  the  name  of  Timber  Ridge,)  North  River,  Cook's  Creek, 
John  Hinson's,  and  other  vacancies  ;  in  connection  with  Messrs. 
McCannan  and  Kinkead.  In  1757,  we  find  him  sent  to  Brown's, 
North  and  South  Mountains,  and  Calf-Pasture  settlements, 
all  within  convenient  reach,  with  several  vacancies  in  North 
Carolina ;  to  preach  one  Sabbath  at  each  of  the  forementioned 
places,  and  to  lesser  congregations  as  often  as  possible.  J 

Meantime  the  rival  and  energetic  Synod  of  New  York  was  not 
idle  ;  and  thus,  though  Christ  was  preached  of  contention,  as  in 
Paul's  time,  yet  every  pious  heart  will  rejoice  with  Paul,  that, 
notwithstanding  every  way,  Christ  was  preached.  In  1743,  oc- 
curred the  never-to-be-forgotten  mission  of  Mr.  Robinson,  which 
was  attended  by  so  many  romantic  incidents,  and  which  opened 
the  way  for  Mr.  Davies'  subsequent  success.  Mr.  Robinson  had 
been  ordained  by  the  Presbytery  of  New  Brunswick  as  an  Evan- 
gelist, for  the  express  purpose  of  visiting  the  frontier  settlements 
in  Virginia  and  Carolina.  It  was  while  engaged  in  this  work, 
that  one  of  the  inhabitants  of  Augusta  county,  going  into  the 
lower  counties   for  salt  and  iron,  met  some  of  the  attendants 


*  Min.  Syn.  Phil.  pp.  1G2,  (this  was  done  by  the  Commission  of  Synod,)  169. 
t  Min.  Syn.  Phil.  pp.  191,  192,  194,  196,  198,  204,  209,  210,  214,  219,  460. 
j  Min.  Syn.  Phil.  pp.  198,  204,  225. 


32  SKETCH  OF  THE  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCHES 

upon  Mr.  Morris'  new  "  Reading-house,"  and  entering  into  re- 
ligious conversation  with  them,  found  a  surprising  coincidence 
of  sentiment.  Learning  that  they  attended  none  of  the  parish 
churches,  because  the  Gospel  was  not  preached  there  and  there 
were  then  no  other  churches  to  resort  to,  he  informed  them  of 
Mr.  Robinson's  late  acceptable  visit,  and  recommended  them  to 
procure  his  services,  which  they  accordingly  did.* 

Although  the  attention  of  the  Synod  of  New  York  was  princi- 
pally directed  to  the  new  and  inviting  field  opened  to  them  in 
Hanover,  the  wants  of  the  Valley  were  not  neglected.  But  so 
great  was  the  destitution  beyond  the  power  of  the  Synod  to  sup- 
ply, that  they  wrote  to  the  Eastern  Association  of  Fairfield,  in 
Connecticut,  in  1749,  requesting  them,  if  possible,  to  send  a  min- 
ister or  ministers  to  labor  in  Virginia  and  Maryland.!  Thus 
we  have  curiously  illustrated  the  sympathies  of  the  Old  and  New 
Side  parties.  While  the  Synod  of  New  York  wrote  to  the 
brethren  in  New  England,  the  Synod  of  Philadelphia,  as  we 
have  seen,  supplicated  the  Kirk  of  Scotland.  The  same  sympa- 
thies were  exhibited  again  in  as  striking  a  manner  about  a  cen- 
tury later,  by  the  Old  and  New  Schools. 

It  is  obvious  from  these  statements,  that  the  ecclesiastical 
bodies  then  in  being,  both  Synods  and  Presbyteries,  felt  a  deep 
and  anxious  solicitude  to  extend  the  blessings  of  the  preached 
Gospel  to  the  destitute  ;  and  through  their  exertions  much  mis- 
sionary labor  was  performed.  The  fatigue  and  exposure  en- 
dured in  the  discharge  of  this  duty  were  very  great,  and  hardly 
to  be  appreciated  at  the  present  day,  when  every  facility  is  af- 
forded to  travelling,  and  the  mountain  recesses  of  Western  Vir- 
ginia have  been  converted  into  fashionable  watering-places. 

In  those  early  days  the  missionary  was  often  compelled  to 
scale  precipitous  heights,  to  dive  into  tangled  valleys,  to  ford 
swollen  streams,  and  to  ride  in  drenching  rains.  There  were 
occasions,  too,  when  his  life  was  in  jeopardy  from  hostile  Indians. 
In  1756,  1757,  and  1758,  after  Braddock's  defeat,  the  mission- 
aries appointed  to  the  southward,  found  it  impracticable  to  itine- 
rate, in  consequence  of  "  the  difficulties  and  dangers  of  the 
times."J 


Bishop's  Mem.  of  Rice,  pp.  32-37.  f  Min.  Svn.  N.  Y.,  p.  238. 

X  Min.  Syn.  N.  Y.,  pp.  271,  279,  282. 


IN  THE  VALLEY  OF  VIRGINIA.  33 

As  both  the  Old  and  New  Side  missionaries  sometimes  visit- 
ed the  same  congregations,  it  is  not  unlikely  that  they  occasion- 
ally came  into  collision  vv^ith  each  other.*  Just  after  the  Great 
Schism,  there  was  no  small  exacerbation  of  feeling ;  as  appears 
from  the  address  of  the  Synod  of  Philadelphia  to  Gov.  Gooch,  on 
the  occasion  of  Mr.  Roan's  indiscreet  attacks  upon  the  establish- 
ment in  the  lower  counties,  in  1744.  Apprehensive  that  their 
congregations  in  the  Valley  might  be  involved  in  the  punishment 
threatened  by  the  government,  the  Synod  were  very  forward  to 
clear  themselves  of  all  supposable  connection  with  the  body,  (the 
New  Side  Presbytery  of  Newcastle,)  that  had  commissioned 
Mr.  Roan.  The  pretenders  to  "  New  Light,"  of  whom  the  gov- 
ernor bitterly  complained,  as  "  blaspheming  our  sacraments,  and 
reviling  our  excellent  liturgy,"  were  described  as  persons  sent 
abroad  by  a  party  whom  they  had  excluded,  and  whose  object 
was,  in  a  spirit  of  rivalry,  "  to  divide  and  trouble  the  Churches." 
This  elicited  a  reply  from  the  governor,  in  which  he  warmly  dis- 
claimed any  thought  of  confounding  the  fanatical  itinerants  com- 
plained of  with  men  of  their  education  and  profession ;  and 
assured  them  that  their  missionaries,  on  the  exhibition  of  proper 
testimonials,  should  always  be  sure  of  his  protection.f 

The  lapse  of  a  few  years  brought  about  a  more  friendly  feel- 
ing, and  smoothed  down  these  asperities.  In  1756,  when  Mr. 
Alison  was  sent  to  Virginia  and  North  Carolina,  the  Synod  of 
Philadelphia  charged  him  and  his  fellow-missionaries  to  promote 
peace  and  unity  among  the  societies  in  public  and  in  private ; 
to  avoid  whatever  might  tend  to  foment  divisions  and  party 
spirit ;  and  to  treat  every  minister  of  the  Gospel  from  the  Synod 
of  New  York,  of  the  like  principles  and  pacific  temper,  in  a  bro- 
therly manner.  A  copy  of  these  instructions  was  sent  to  the 
Synod  of  New  York,  in  the  hope  of  inducing  that  body  to  adopt 


*  In  1748  the  Synod  of  New  York  received  a  supplication  for  a  probationer 
from  Cedar  Creek,  and  a  call  for  Mr.  Dean  from  Timber  Ridge ;  Min.  Syn.  N. 
Y.,  p.  236.  Four  years  after,  (in  1752,)  we  find  Mr.  Craig  and  others  appoint- 
ed by  the  Synod  of  Philadelphia  to  visit  the  very  same  congregations.  Min.  Syn. 
Phil.  p.  204. 

f  That.  Mr.  Roan  was  indiscreet,  and  indulged  in  severe  denunciations  of  the 
established  clergy,  in  a  widely  different  style  from  Mr.  Davies,  is  admitted  in 
Morris'  Narrative,  Campbell's  Hist.,  p.  297,  Miller's  Rodgers,  p.  41.  The 
charge  of  the  governor  to  the  Grand  Jury,  the  Address  of  the  Synod,  and  the 
Governor's  Reply,  may  be  seen  in  the  printed  minutes,  Syn.  Phil.  pp.  180,  181, 
183. 


34  SKETCH  OF  THE  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCHES 

a   similar   course.*     A   reunion   took   place   two   years   after- 
ward. 

In  the  foregoing  sketch  of  missionary  operations,  we  have  met 
with  the  congregations  of  New  Providence,  Falling  Spring, 
Timber  Ridge,  (so  called  from  a  noble  forest  of  oaks  that  crown- 
ed its  summit,)  and  the  Forks  of  James  River,  as  early  as  1748  ; 
in  which  year  each  of  them  was  already  in  a  condition  to  bear 
their  part  in  settling  a  pastor.  Falling  Spring  and  New  Provi- 
dence, (which  was  so  called  to  distinguish  it  from  Providence 
Church  in  Louisa,  organized  by  Mr.  Davies,  and  afterwards  un- 
der the  care  of  Mr.  Todd,)  invited  Mr.  Eliab  Byram,  of  New 
England,  a  missionary  sent  to  supply  them,  who  saw  fit  to 
decline.  Timber  Ridge  and  James  River  invited  Mr.  Dean, 
who  died  a  few  months  afterwards. f  In  1753,  the  Rev.  John 
Brown,  a  native  of  Ireland,  and  a  popular  young  preacher  of 
the  New  Side,  who  had  graduated  at  Nassau  Hall,  took  charge 
of  the  united  congregations  of  New  Providence  and  Timber 
Ridge.  J  About  the  year  1776,  he  relinquished  the  latter,  and 
confined  his  labors  to  New  Providence  alone.  Mr.  Brown, 
after  having  been  pastor  of  New  Providence  Church  for  forty- 
four  years,§  and  having  seen  a  considerable  portion  of  his  flock, 
as  well  as  several  youthful  missionaries — whom,  in  their  infancy, 
he  had  baptized  with  his  own  hand — bending  their  steps  to  Ken- 
tucky, removed  thither  himself  in  the  decline  of  life,  in  the  year 
1797.11  He  died  in  1803,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five,  and  his  dust 
reposes  in  Pisgah  graveyard.  Of  his  sons,  the  Hon.  James 
Brown  and  the  Hon.  John  Brown  rose  to  distinction  in  the 
political  world,  the  former  being  for  some  years  Minister  at  the 
Court  of  France  ;  the  latter.  Secretary  of  State  and  a  United 
States'  Senator  ;  while  Dr.  Samuel  Brown  was,  at  one  time,  a 
shining  ornament  of  the  Medical  department  of  Transylvania 
University. 


*  Min.  Syn.  Phil.  p.  219.  f  Min.  Syn.  N.  Y.  p.  236. 

I  The  call,  after  the  lapse  of  near  a  century,  is  still  in  existence,  being  in  the 
possession  of  his  grandson,  Orlando  Brown,  Esq.,  of  Frankfort,  Ky.  This  relic 
of  antiquity  is  signed  by  117  males,  many  of  whose  names  may  now  be  found 
perpetuated  in  Kentucky.  It  was  carried  to  the  Presbytery  of  Newcastle  by 
Messrs.  Andrew  Steel  and  Archibald  Alexander  as  Commissioners  ;  and  depict- 
ed in  lively  colors  the  desolate  condition  in  which  they  had  lain  for  many  years, 
through  the  privation  of  the  word  and  ordinances. 

5  Such  is  the  statement  upon  his  tombstone. 

II  Marshall's  Hist,  of  Ky.  vol.  i.  p.  316.  Rice's  Evangel,  and  Lit.  Mag.  vol. 
iv.  p.  254.  ^ 


IN  THE  VALLEY  OF  VIRGINIA;  34 

Each  of  the  two  congregations  just  named  erected  a  commo- 
dious church,  of  stone,  in  the  year  175G.  The  first  thing  the 
settlers  did,  after  putting  up  temporary  cabins  to  shelter  their 
families,  was  to  build  a  larger  cabin  for  a  place  of  worship ;  but 
when  the  settlement  had  somewhat  increased,  this  was  super- 
seded by  a  more  substantial  and  permanent  structure.  It  is 
interesting  to  trace  the  steps  of  these  hardy  pioneers  in  their 
zeal  to<iecure  the  decent  maintenance  of  religious  ordinances. 
As  in  Solomon's  time,  the  congregation  distributed  themselves 
into  companies  ;  one  of  which  underto<5k  to  quarry  and  haul  the 
stone  ;  another,  to  furnish  the  lime  and  sand,  which  had  to  be 
conveyed  in  sacks  from  a  distance  over  bad  roads,  (and  this 
duty  is  said  to  have  been  undertaken  by  the  women  of  the  con- 
gregation ;)  a  third,  to  furnish  the  heavy  timber,  the  joists  and 
rafters ;  a  fourth,  to  supply  the  plank  and  shingles  ;  a  fifth,  to 
procure  imported  nails  and  hinges,  which  was  the  most  difficult 
task  of  all.  Thus,  by  contributing  their  personal  labor,  they  suc- 
ceeded in  rearing  churches,  which,  for  their  comparatively  am- 
ple dimensions,  might  well  be  the  admiration  of  the  traveller, 
and  which,  after  the  lapse  of  near  a  century,  stand  to  this  day ; 
unincumbered  by  those  ruinous  Church  debts,  which  in  our  time 
hang  upon  so  many  congregations  like  an  incubus.  Money  was 
then  an  exceedingly  scarce  article,  and  deerskins,  furs,  and  but- 
ter, were  used  for  barter.* 

Hall's  Meeting-House  CoNCREGATioNf  was  very  extensive, 
reaching  from  the  foot  of  the  North  Mountain  nearly  to  the  Blue 
Ridge.  It  is  this  locality  which  the  Synod  of  Philadelphia  sup- 
pHed  in  1752,  under  the  name  of  the  North  River  Congregation, 
so  called  from  a  small  stream  running  near  Lexington.  The 
name  is  now  extinct ;  the  Church  of  New  Monmouth  occupying 


*  Graham,  Lett.  11.  VIIL  Hall's  Meeting-HouPe  was  a  large  framed  build- 
ing ;  so  were  Falling  Spring  and  Ilighbridge.  Oxford  was  constructed  of  logs, 
arranged  in  the  form  of  a  Greek  cross,  with  eight  corners  ;  as  they  could  not 
procure  single  logs  of  sufficient  length  to  build  a  four-cornered  house  of  the  size 
required.  Graham,  Lett.  IL  Lexington  Church  was  built,  under  Mr.  Graham's 
snperintendance,  of  brick.  There  arc  now  nine,  or  more,  churches  in  Rock- 
bridge county,  all  built  either  of  brick  or  stone,  and  regularly  pewed  ;  some  of 
them  spacious.  Mr.  Graham's  influence,  in  this  respect,  was  very  happy. 
Rice's  Mag.  vol.  iv.  p.  262. 

t  Min.  Syn.  Phil.  p.  204.  The  name,  "  Mecting-House  Congregation,"  ia 
sufficiently  awkward  ;  but  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  at  tliat  time  the  digni- 
fied title  of  "  Church"  was  monopolized  by  the  established  clergy  for  the  parish 
houses  of  worship. 


36  SKETCH  OF  THE  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCHES 

the  old  site,  while  the  south-eastern  portion  of  the  congregation 
constituted  the  Church  of  Lexington.  In  1774,  a  petition  was 
presented  to  the  Synod  from  the  united  congregations  of  Timber 
Ridge  and  Hall's  Meeting-House,  representing  the  destitute 
condition  of  the  Churches  in  those  parts,  and  earnestly  requesting 
supplies  ;  especially  of  candidates  who  might  be  likely  to 
settle  among  them.*  The  Rev.  William  Graham,  then  recently 
licensed,  and  a  great  favorite,  was  ordained  their  pastor  m  177G. 
The  Rev.  John  P.  Campbell,  M.D.,  who  afterwards  made  a 
distinguished  figure  in  Kentucky,  was  chosen  his  assistant  in 
1792,  and  officiated  for  two  or  three  years,  till  his  removal  to 
the  State  just  named.  About  1779,  Mr.  McConnel,  a  graduate 
of  Princeton,  took  charge  of  the  three  congregations  of  Falling 
Spring,  Oxford,  and  Highbridge ;  all  which  Churches  still  exist 
under  the  same  names.f 

The  congregations  of  New  Providence,  Timber  Ridge,  Hall's 
Meeting-House,  Falling  Spring,  Oxford,  and  Highbridge, 
(Natural  Bridge,)  were  all  situated  in  Rockbridge  county,  which 
was  settled  somewhat  later  than  Augusta,  (being  erected  into  a 
county  in  1777,)  and  the  people  were  more  thoroughly  of  the 
New  Side.  Many  of  them  had  participated  in  the  revival  of 
religion  under  the  preaching  of  Whitefield,  the  Tennants,  and 
Blair.  They  were  ardent  and  zealous  ;  friendly  to  revivals,  and 
fond  of  warm,  pungent  preaching.  J  Owing  to  this  circumstance, 
and  the  superior  activity  and  resources  of  the  New  York  Synod, 
the  majority  of  the  Churches  in  the  Valley,  including  OpEauoN 
and  Cedar  Creek,  were  attached  to  the  New  Side  party.  The 
Churches  of  Augusta,  Tinkling  Spring,  Brown's  Meeting- 
HousE,§  RocKFisH,  Cooic's  Creek,  and  Pecked  Mountain,  es- 
poused the  Old  Side.  The  last-named  Churches  were  compre- 
hended in  the  Presbytery  of  Donegal ;  those  of  the  New  Side  in 
the  Presbyteries  of  New  Castle  or  Hanover. 

At  the  reunion  in  1758,  all  the  ministers  in  Virginia  were 
comprised  in  Hanover  Presbytery,  except  Mr.  John  Hoge,  of 


*  Min.  Syn.  N.  Y.  and  Phil.  p.  454. 

f  Graham,  Lett.  II.  Min.  Syn.  N.  Y.  and  Phil.  p.  516.     J  Graham,  Lett.  II. 

5  In  the  opinion  of  Dr.  Alexander  this  was  a  New  Side  Church ;  bnt  as  a 
supplication  irom  it  appears  on  the  minutes  of  the  Old  Side  Synod  of  Philadel- 
phia, in  1750,  and  a  committee  was  appointed  to  visit  them,  it  is  here  retained. 
The  congregation  were  probably  divided. 


IN  THE  VALLKY  OF  VIRGINIA.  37 

Opequon,  who  was  attached  to  Donegal,  But  in  1788,  the  Old 
Synod  was  divided  into  four,  viz  :  New  York  and  New  Jersey, 
Philadelphia,  Virginia,  and  the  Carolinas,  constituting  a  General 
Assembly.  The  Synod  of  Virginia  was  composed  of  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Redstone,  in  Western  Pennsylvania ;  the  Presbytery 
of  Hanover,  in  the  lower  counties  of  Virginia  ;  the  Presbytery 
of  Lexington,  in  the  Valley  of  Virginia,  embracing  the  follow- 
ing twelve  ministers :  the  Rev.  John  Brown,  William  Graham, 
Archibald  Scott,  James  McConnel,  Edward  Crawford,  Benjamin 
Erwin,  John  Montgomery,  William  Wilson,  Moses  Hoge,  John 
McCue,  Samuel  Carrick,  and  Samuel  Shannon  ;  and  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Transylvania,  embracing  the  new  settlements  in 
Kentucky  and  Cumberland,  of  which  more  will  be  said  in  another 
place.  The  remaining  ministers  in  Western  Virginia,  the  Rev. 
Charles  Cummins,  Hezekiah  Balch,  John  Casson,  Samuel  Doak, 
and  Samuel  Houston,  were  embraced  in  the  Presbytery  of 
Abingdon,  and  attached  to  the  Synod  of  the  Carolinas.* 

The  Presbyterians  of  Virginia,  like  the  rest  of  their  brethren, 
were  marked  by  an  inextinguishable  love  of  liberty,  and  during 
the  revolution  were  staunch  republicans  to  a  man.  At  the  very 
first  meeting  of  the  Presbytery  of  Hanover,  after  the  Declaration 
of  Independence,  that  body  addressed  a  memorial  to  the  Virginia 
House  of  Delegates,  identifying  themselves  with  the  common 
cause,  and  urging  the  establishment  of  religious  as  well  as  civil 
freedom.  It  was  signed  by  the  Rev.  John  Todd,  Moderator,  and 
Caleb  Wallace,  Clerk.  In  1 777,  they  presented  another,  draught- 
ed by  Rev.  S.  S.  Smith,  and  Rev.  David  Rice,  and  signed  by  Rev. 
Richard  Sankey,  Moderator  ;  and  in  May,  1784,  a  third,  draught- 
ed by  Messrs.  Smith  and  Waddel.  At  this  time,  the  danger 
being  imminent  of  a  general  assessment  for  the  support  of  religion, 
a  scheme  which  was  advocated  by  Patrick  Henry  and  other 
popular  politicians,  a  convention  was  held  at  Bethel,  in  Augusta, 
August  13th,  1785,  of  Presbyterian  ministers  and  laymen,  who 
prepared  an  adverse  petition,  signed  by  10,000  persons.  The 
Rev.  John  Todd  was  chairman,  and  Daniel  McCalla,  clerk. 
This  petition,  and  a  fourth  memorial  from  the  Presbytery  in 
October  of  the  same  year,  were  presented  to  the  Legislature  by 
the  Rev.  John  Blair  Smith,  (whose  handwriting  the  papers  show,) 

*  Assembly's  Digest,  pp.  38,  53,  54. 


38  SKETCH  OF  THE  TRESBYTERIAN  CHURCHES 

who  was  heard  for  three  successive  days,  at  the  bar  of  the  House, 
in  support  of  them.*  The  main  object  of  ail  these  petitions  was, 
to  complain  of  the  partial  and  peculiar  privileges  still  continued 
to  the  Episcopal,  late  the  established  church,  and  its  vestrymen ; 
to  discountenance  a  general  incorporation  of  the  clergy  alone,  of 
other  sects  as  well  as  of  the  Episcopahans,  and  to  deprecate  the 
plan  of  a  general  assessment  for  the  support  of  religion.  The 
bill  was  already  engrossed  for  a  third  reading,  when  these 
strenuous  measures  arrested  further  progress,  and  on  the  16th  of 
December,  1785,  an  act  was  passed  for  establishing  full  religious 
freedom,  the  spirit  and  phraseology  of  which  exhibit  a  striking 
coincidence  with  the  tone  of  the  memorials  just  described.f 

Thus  it  appears,  that  it  is  not  to  Mr.  Jefferson,  or  any  other 
politician,  that  Virginia  is  indebted  for  the  religious  liberty  she 
enjoys,  for  if  no  opposition  had  been  made,  extremely  pernicious 
schemes  would  have  been  riveted  on  the  people  ;  it  was  through 
the  firm  and  untiring  exertions  of  the  Presbyterians,  in  common 
with  the  Baptists  and  other  denominations,  that  the  churches 
were  sundered  from  all  connection  with  the  civil  power,  and 
placed  on  an  equal  footing.  The  example  of  Virginia,  being 
found  successful  in  practice,  was  imitated  by  Maryland,  Dela- 
ware, Georgia,  the  Carolinas,  and  lastly,  Massachusetts  ;  in 
which  latter  State,  the  old  Congregational  Establishment  was 
not  overthrown  till  1830.  So  decided  was  the  influence  of  the 
struggle  in  Virginia,  as  to  procure  the  perpetual  withholding 
from  the  Federal  Constitution,  all  power  to  erect  a  religious 
establishment  of  any  kind.  J 

Just  before  the  commencement  of  the  revolution,  the  Presby- 
tery of  Hanover  felt  the  necessity  of  energetic  measures  for  the 
education  of  the  youth  within  their  bounds.  The  Presbyterian 
system  is  adapted  to  the  successful  development  of  three  import- 
ant elements  :  Spirituality,  because  it  has  nothing  to  recommend 
it  but  simplicity  and  truth ;  Liberty,  because  freedom  of  discus- 
sion, which  would  be  shackled  by  arbitrary  edicts  or  imparity  of 


*  Rice's  Evang.  Mag.  vol.  ix.  pp.  30,  33,  35,  42,  43.  Lang's  Religion  and 
Educ.  in  Amer.  pp.  94,  116.  Baird's  Relig.  in  Amer.  pp.  109,  110.  MS.  Hist, 
of  Hanover  Pby.  p.  11.     Smyth's  Eccles.  Republicanism,  pp.  96—103. 

t  Rice's  Ev.  Mag.  vol.  ix.  p.  48.     Baird,  p.  110,  where  see  the  act  at  length. 

J  Smyth's  Eccl.  Repiibl.  pp.  101, 102.  A  remark  of  this  prolific  writer  is  well 
worthy  of  being  singled  out  for  remembrance :  "  The  more  decidedly,"  says  he, 
"  a  man  is  a  Presbyterian,  the  more  decidedly  is  he  a  Republican." — p.  103. 


IN  THE  VALLEY  OF  VIRGINIA.  39 

rank,  is  the  life  of  its  assemblies  ;  Knowledge,  because  intelligence 
in  the  laity,  and  learning  in  the  ministry,  are  the  surest  guaranty 
of  mutual  rights,  and  the  most  efficient  means  of  an  extensive 
Christian  influence.  Hence  it  always  j)lants  the  School  beside 
the  Church. 

The  University  of  Virginia,  to  which  the  freethinking  sage  of 
Monticello  devoted  his  last  years,  had  not  yet  reared  its  aspiring 
head.*  The  College  of  William  and  Mary,  at  Williamsburg, 
was  under  bigoted  Episcopal  control,  and  besides  being  expen- 
sive, was  exposed  to  immoral  and  deistical  influences. f  Nassau 
Hall,  at  Princeton,  in  New  Jersey,  was  too  remote,  and  the 
expense  of  travelling  too  heavy,  to  allow  the  bulk  of  the  people 
to  derive  much  benefit  from  its  instructions.  The  Presbytery, 
therefore,  wisely  determined  to  establish  two  academies,  one  in 
the  eastern  section  of  the  province,  the  other  in  the  western. 
The  plan  was  agitated  as  early  as  1771, J  but  nothing  was  effect- 
ed till  1774,  when,  after  considerable  opposition  from  the  friends 
of  the  establishment,  the  persevering  efforts  of  the  Presbyterian 
clergy  succeeded  in  establishing  the  projected  academies.  One 
was  located  in  Prince  Edward  county,  to  which  the  republican 
spirit  of  the  times  gave  the  name  of  Hampden  Sidney  ;  the  other, 
situated  in  the  Valley,  was  designated  by  the  no  less  significant 
title  of  Liberty  Hall. 

The  Rev.  Samuel  Stanhope  Smith,  D.D.,  was  the  first 
President  of  Hampden  Sidney ;  a  divine,  the  precocity  of  whose 
genius,  instead  of  being  succeeded  (as  is  often  the  case)  by  as 
premature  anility,  proved  the  precursor  of  a  long  and  brilliant 
career. 

Upon  his  removal  to  Nassau  Hall,  Princeton,  in  1779,  he  was 
succeeded  by  his  brother,  the  Rev.  John  Blair  Smith,  a  man  of 
highly  polished  manners,  uncommon  conversational  powers,  an 
elegant  and  flowing  style,  and  a  highly  graceful  and  fervent 
delivery.^  It  was  while  he  was  president,  that  the  remarkable 
revival  of  religion  occurred,  of  which  we  shall  presently  have 


*Mr.  Jefferson's  deeply-rooted  enmity  to  tlic  Christian  religion  led  him  to  tax 
his  ingenuity  to  exclude  it  from  the  institution  ;  but  such  has  been  the  decided 
want  of  public  confidence  in  consequence,  that  of  late  years,  the  professors  have 
defrayed  out  of  their  own  pockets  the  expense  necessary  to  secure  the  services 
of  a  chaplain. 

t  Graham,  Lett.  IV.        t  Graham,  Lett.  IV.        §  Graham,  Lett.  VII. 


40  SKETCH  OF  THE  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCHES 

occasion  to  speak.  After  him,  the  chair  was  successively  occu- 
pied by  Dr.  Archibald  Alexander,  in  1797;  Dr.  Moses  Hoge, 
in  1807,  since  deceased,  whose  patriarchal  simpHcity  and  devout 
spirit,  are  embahned  in  the  memory  of  the  Virginia  Churches  ; 
the  Rev.  J.  P.  Gushing,  in  1821  ;  the  Rev.  Dr.  Carroll,  in  1836 ; 
the  Hon.  Wm.  Maxwell,  LL.D.,  in  1839 ;  and  the  Rev.  P.  J. 
Sparrow,  in  1845,  who  is  the  ])resent  incumbent.  This  College, 
like  many  others,  has  had  to  struggle  for  existence.  It  was 
rearmed  solely  by  Presbyterian  patronage  ;  the  only  aid  for  which 
it  has  been  indebted  to  the  State,  being  two  hundred  acres  of 
escheated  land,  and  the  proceeds  of  the  sale  of  a  church  glebe.* 
Union  Theological  Seminary-  stands  in  the  vicinity. 

A  single  Seminary  being  deemed  inadequate  to  the  growing 
wants  of  so  extensive  a  country,  another  was  opened  under  the 
patronage  of  Hanover  Presbytery,  in  what  is  now  Rockbridge 
county,  but  was  then  part  of  Augusta,  in  November,  1774.  Its 
location  was  on  Mount  Pleasant,  a  lofty  eminence  near  the  site 
of  the  present  village  of  Fairfield,  and  a  dozen  miles  north-east  of 
Lexington  ;  and  it  was  at  first  called  Augusta  Academy.  Upon 
the  M^arm  recommendation  of  Dr.  Smith,  Mr.  William  Graham 
was  appointed  the  rector,  with  Mr.  John  Montgomery,  a  student 
of  theology,  and  respectable  scholar,  as  his  assistant.  Mr.  Gra- 
ham was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  of  Irish  parentage.  He 
was  born  Dec.  19th,  1746,  in  a  frontier  settlement,  about  five 
miles  north  of  Harrisburg.  While  a  lad,  his  courage  was  put  to 
a  severe  test.  The  whole  family  were  one  night  exposed  to  im- 
minent danger  from  a  large  party  of  Indians  who  lay  in  ambush 
near  the  house.  Suspicion  being  awakened,  the  family  left  the 
house  in  the  utmost  silence,  William  marching  with  a  loaded 
gun  in  front,  and  his  father  in  the  rear,  and  succeeded  in  reaching 
the  neighboring  fort  in  safety.  His  education  was  such  as  a 
country  school  could  furnish,  where  he  learned  all  that  the  mas- 
ters knew.  He  was  naturally  of  a  gay  and  lively  disposition, 
and  immoderately  fond  of  dancing,  of  the  baneful  and  dissipating 
influence  of  which  amusement  he  was  afterwards  painfully  sen- 
sible ;  but  about  the  age  of  twenty-one,  he  became,  through  the 


*  Bishop's  Rice,  p.  164.  In  1775,  the  Presbytery  appropriated  £400  for  books 
and  apparatus,  and  £700  for  a  College  and  President's  house,  in  all  £1100; 
and  a  gentleman  gave  ninety-eight  acres  for  the  use  of  the  school.  MS.  Hist, 
of  Han.  Pby.  p.  9. 


IN  THE  VALLEY  OF  VIRGLVLI. 


41 


grace  of  God,  a  changed  man,  and  animated  with  a  desire  to 
devote  himself  to  the  work  of  the  ministry.  Ahhough  a  late 
beginner,  in  five  years  he  completed  his  classical  education,  first 
under  Mr.  Roan,  of  Lancaster,  and  afterwards  at  Princeton  Col- 
lege ;  •earning  the  means  to  defray  his  expenses  part  of  the  time, 
by  engaging  as  an  assistant  teacher.  It  was  while  at  Pi'inceton, 
that  he  made  the  valuable  acquaintance  of  Dr.  Smith,  whose 
recommendation  proved  of  such  signal  service  to  him. 

In  1776,  the  Presbytery,  who  had  shown  much  interest  in  the 
school,  and  had  twice  attended  the  examinations,  made  the 
appointment  permanent,  and  as  Mr.  Graham  had  now  taken 
charge  of  Timber  Ridge  congregation,  in  connection  with  Hall's 
Meeting-House,  the  Academy  was  transferred  thither,  and  suita- 
ble buildings  provided.  Its  name  was  now  changed,  in  conform- 
ity with  the  spirit  of  the  times,  from  Augusta  Academy  to 
Liberty  Hall.  At  the  same  time  the  Presbytery  chose  twenty- 
four  Trustees,*  seven  of  whom  should  form  a  quorum  ;  the  Pres- 
bytery reserving  to  themselves  "  the  right  of  visitation  forever, 
as  often  as  they  should  judge  it  necessary,  and  of  choosing  the 
rector  and  his  assistants."  This  appears  to  have  been  the  last 
act  of  the  Presbytery  in  reference  to  the  institution ;  the  war  of 
the  Revolution  became  the  absorbing  topic  for  a  time,t  ^"d  "i 
1782,  the  Trustees,  without  consulting  the  Presbytery,  petitioned 
the  Legislature  for  a  charter,  which  was  granted,  not  to  the 
Presbytery,  but  to  themselves,  although  they  had  been  originally 
appointed  "  to  conduct  all  the  concerns  of  the  academy  on  behalf 
of  the  Presbytery  "  So  small  was  the  number  of  students,  and 
so  little  promise  of  piety  was  there  among  them,  that  Mr.  Gra- 
ham was  often  tempted  to  resign. 

But  a  Heavenly  Watcher  had  said,  "  Destroy  it  not,  for  there 


*  Their  names  were  as  follows,  viz :  Rev.  Messrs.  John  Broun,  James 
Waddell,  Chas.  Cummins,  William  Irvin,  and  the  Rector,  ex  officio ;  also,  Mr. 
Thomas  Lewis,  Gen.  Andrew  Lewis,  Col.  Wm.  Christian,  Col!  Wm.  Fleming, 
Mr.  Tliomas  Stewart,  Mr.  Saml.  Lyle,  Col.  John  Bovvyer,  Mr.  .Tohn  Gratton, 
Col.  Wm.  Preston,  Mr.  Sampson  Mathews,  Major  Saml.  M'Dowell,  Mr.  Wm. 
M'Pheeters,  Capt.  Alexander  Stewart,  Capt.  Wm.  M'Kee,  Mr.  John  Houston, 
Mr.  Charles  Campbell,  Capt.  George  Moffat,  Mr.  Wm.  Ward,  and  Capt.  John 
Lewis.     Graham,  Lett.  IV. 

f  Mr.  Graham,  with  the  entire  body  of  the  Presbyterian  clerg)',  cordially 
espoused  the  cause  of  his  country,  nor  was  his  patriotism  confined  to  empty  pro- 
fession. On  one  occasion  he  was  chosen  to  the  command  of  a  company,  but 
was  never  called  to  the  field. 


42  SKETCH  OF  THE  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCHE  S 

is  a  blessing  in  it !''  and,  as  the  lingering  of  Jesus  made  the 
miraculous  resuscitation  of  Lazarus  only  the  more  notable,  so 
the  delay  of  gracious  influences  rendered  the  returning  dawn 
brighter  and  sweeter,  in  contrast  with  the  long  and  dreary  night 
that  preceded.  Between  the  years  1786  and  1788,*  a  remark- 
able revival  of  religion  occurred  in  the  two  colleges,  which 
resulted  in  the  conversion  of  a  number  of  promising  young  stu- 
dents, and,  by  their  means,  in  an  extensive  awakening,  both  jn 
Eastern  and  Western  Virginia ;  nothing  like  which  had  been 
witnessed  since  the  times  of  Whitefield  and  Davies.  The  lead- 
ing incidents  in  this  interesting  work  of  grace  are  here  recorded, 
as  gathered  from  the  lips  of  venerable  men  who  were  once 
prominent  actors  in  those  scenes. 

Hampden  Sidney,  although  under  the  care  of  the  Rev.  John 
Blair  Smith,  a  pious  and  excellent  man,  exhibited  a  spectacle 
akin  to  that  existing  in  Liberty  Hall,  and  too  often  witnessed  in 
academic    groves,    an  engrossing  interest  in    literature  to   the 
neglect  of  religion.     At  the  time  of  Dr.  Blythe's  matriculation, 
there  was  not  another  student  within  the  walls,  besides  himself, 
who   professed  religion ;  and  even   he,  yielding   to  the  popular 
current,  was  at  no  special  pains  to  divulge  the  fact  unnecessarily. 
On  his  arrival,  he  was  recommended  to  Gary  H.  Allen  as  one 
of  the  steadiest  youths  in  College.     Taking  a  stroll  together, 
shortly  after,  they  entered  the  store  of  a  merchant  with  whom 
Allen  was  familiar.     Allen,  who  was  always  full  of  exuberant 
glee,  after  some  chat,  was  requested  to  burlesque  a  Methodist 
sermon.     Mounting  the  counter,  he  did  this  in  such  a  comical 
and  ludicrous  manner,  that  his  auditors  were  convulsed  with 
laughter.     His  poor  companion  augured  badly,  from  this  initia- 
tory specimen,  as  to  what  he  had  to  expect.     It  was  not  many 
days  afterward  that  a  party  sallied  forth  to  attend  a  Methodist 
meeting  in  the  neighborhood,  promising  themselves  rare  sport. 
But,  strange  to  relate,  among  the  very  first  who  were  seized  with 
pungent  convictions  of  sin,  was  the  wild,  witty,  dashing,  Gary 
Allen.      On  his  return  to  College,  his  social  disposition  forbade 
him  to  hide  his  feelings  within  his  own  bosom,  and  very  soon 
several  of  his  companions  were  found  to  be  a.6  serious  as  himself. 
Blythe,  no  longer  hesitating  to  avow  his  religious  character, 

*  Douglass'  Hist,  of  Briary  Church,  p.  6. 


IN  THE  VALLEY  OF  VIRGINIA.  43 

naturally  became  the  centre  round  which  the  httle  group  col- 
lected, and  in  his  chamber  they  assembled  to  hold  a  meeting  for 
prayer.  William  Calhoon,  Clement  Reed,  Gary  Allen,  and 
William  Hill,  with  James  Blythe,  formed  the  little  band.  They 
locked  the  door,  and  commenced  praying  and  singing  ;  but  the 
moment  the  unusual  sound  w^as  heard,  the  whole  college  flocked 
to  the  spot  and  made  a  hideous  uproar,  mingled  with  oaths  and 
ribaldry.  The  president  was  absent  at  the  time,  but  on  his 
arrival  for  evening  prayer,  learning  the  posture  of  affairs,  he 
took  the  opportunity  pointedly  to  rebuke  the  rioters,  and  to 
express  his  unfeigned  delight  at  the  intelligence  of  any  religious 
feeling  in  the  institution.  He  invited  the  young  men  into  his 
study,  and  there  prayed  with  them,  and  gave  them  instruction 
and  encouragement ;  and  every  Sabbath  evening  thenceforth, 
met  them  in  his  own  house  for  devotional  exercises. 

From  that  time  the  seriousness  spread,  until,  out  of  eighty 
students,  nearly  half  the  number  were  touched  with  compunc- 
tion for  their  sins.  Their  prayer  meetings  were  marked  with 
deep,  silent,  solemn  feeling,  and  the  absence  of  all  noise  and 
extravagance.  The  President  took  a  lively  interest  in  promoting 
the  revival,  and  whenever  he  could  gather  his  young  friends 
around  him,  he  embraced  the  opportunity  to  communicate 
instruction.  Often  the  trunk  of  an  old  tree,  fallen  in  the  woods, 
served  him  for  a  pulpit,  while  they  eagerly  clustered  round,  and 
hung  upon  the .  lips  of  their  revered  preceptor.  He  himself 
seemed  to  preach  with  new  life.  Two  hundred  and  twenty-five 
persons,  chiefly  young  people,  were  added  to  the  churches  which 
he  served,  in  the  space  of  eighteen  months.  The  revival  extended 
over  Prince  Edward,  Cumberland,  Charlotte,  and  Bedford 
counties,  to  the  Peaks  of  Otter.* 

As  the  fruits  of  this  revival,  a  number  of  the  new  converts 
turned  their  attention  to  the  ministry.     Among  them  were  Nash 


*  See  an  interesting  letter  from  John  Blair  Smith,  and  another  from  Robert, 
his  father,  giving  an  account  of  this  work,  in  the  Presbyterian,  vol.  xv.  p.  154. 
The  latter  declared  that  he  had  seen  "  nothing  equal  to  it  for  e.xtensivc  spread, 
power,  and  spiritual  glory,  since  the  years  '40  and  '41.  The  blessed  work  has 
spread  among  people  of  every  description,  high  and  low,  rich  and  poor,  learned 
and  unlearned,  orthodox  and  heterodox,  sober  and  rude,  white  and  black,  young 
and  old  ;  especially  the  youth,  whom  it  seems  to  have  seized  generally." 


44  SKETCH  OF  THE  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCHES 

Legrand,  Gary  Allen,  Drury  Lacy,*  William  Williamson, 
William  Calhoon,  and  William  Hill. 

Mr.  Graham,  stimulated  by  the  interesting  intelHgence,  and 
urged  by  his  friend,  Mr.  Smith,  to  come  to  his  help,  travelled 
a  hundred  miles  to  attend  a  three-days'  meeting  at  Briary 
Ghurch,  in  Prince  Edward,  and  afterwards  a  meeting  in  Bedford, 
in  order  to  witness  the  remarkable  work  of  grace  with  his  own 
eyes.  He  was  accompanied  by  two  of  his  pupils,  Samuel 
Willson  and  Archibald  Alexander.  They  remained  a  fortnight 
among  those  delightful  scenes,  and,  on  their  return,  communi- 
cated the  flame  they  themselves  had  caught,  and  kindled  up  a 
pious  fervor  through  Rockbridge.  Nash  Legrand,  a  young 
licentiate,  and  a  solemn  and  impressive  preacher,  lent  his  aid, 
and  a  revival  immediately  commenced  in  the  Valley.  Its 
influence  extended  as  far  as  Augusta,  but  was  most  powerful 
in  Hall's  and  Timber  Ridge  congregations.  There  were  five 
young  men  who  were  subjects  of  the  revival,  who  turned  their 
attention  to  the  ministry,  two  of  whom  died  early.  The  three 
survivors,  Archibald  Alexander,  Benjamin  Grigsby,  and 
Matthew  Lyle,  were  all  licensed  about  the  same  time.  J.  P. 
Campbell,  Ramsey,  Thomas  Poage,  Robert  Stuart,  &;c., 
followed. 

Mr.  Graham  no  longer  talked  of  resigning.     His  heart  and 


*  Mr.  Lacy  proved  an  invaluable  aid  to  the  President.  He  was  admirably 
fitted  to  address  the  large  assemblies  that  were  then  in  the  habit  of  collecting 
together.  His  voice  was  as  loud  as  a  trumpet,  but  not  harsh  nor  unpleasant. 
His  enunciation  was  distinct,  and  he  could  be  heard  with  rase,  from  a  stand 
in  the  woods,  by  three  or  four  thousand  people,  in  the  open  air.  He  was  of 
Norman  French  extraction  ;  the  name  being  originally  De  Lacy.  He  was  bom 
in  Chesterfield  county  in  1757.  He  was  engaged  in  teaching,  both  before  and 
after  liis  conversion.  He  was  successively  a  tutor  in  the  college,  then  professor 
of  languages,  and  acted  as  Vice  President  for  some  years,  after  the  resignation 
of  John  Blair  Smith.  He  had  charge,  as  colleague  of  Dr.  Alexander,  of  the 
Cumberland  congregation,  which  included  the  college,  and  was  much  beloved 
by  his  people.  He  was  a  laborious  pastor,  and  very  successful,  especially 
among  the  negroes,  numbers  of  whom  were  converted.  He  seldom  wrote  his 
sermons,  but  preached  extemporaneously,  with  great  earnestness  and  affection 
of  manner.  His  left  arm  had  been  shattered  by  the  bursting  of  a  gun,  and  the 
amputated  stump  was  covered  with  a  cap  of  silver,  from  which  circumstance 
he  went  by  the  sobriquet  of  "  Old  Silverfist."  It  is  said  that  upon  one  occasion 
his  raising  the  mutilated  limb,  when  telling  the  story  of  Amyntas,  produced  a 
deep  impression  on  a  wild  young  lawyer.  Two  of  his  five  children  became 
ministers,  and  all  members  of  the  Church.  He  died  Dec.  6th,  1816,  in  the  58th 
year  of  his  age. 


IN  THE  VALLEY  OF  VIRGINIA.  4^ 

his  hands  were  full.  A  number  of  promising  young  men,  in 
various  stages  of  their  studies,  with  some  who  had  just  graduated 
and  had  been  looking  to  the  Bar  as  the  road  to  honor  and 
emolument,  made  up  their  minds  to  relinquish  the  flattering 
prospects  of  ambition,  for  the  sweeter  pleasure  of  winning  souls 
to  Christ.  Mr.  Graham  willingly  consented  to  superintend  their 
theological  studies.  In  1791,  the  Synod  of  Virginia,  recently 
constituted,  felt  the  propriety  of  making  some  provision  for  the 
training  of  the  thirty  or  forty  young  men  in  the  two  literary 
institutions,  who  had  an  eye  to  the  ministry.  They  proposed  to 
establish  three  theological  seminaries,  one  under  the  patronage 
Qf  the  Presbytery  of  Redstone,  in  Western  Pennsylvania  ; 
another  in  Kentucky,  under  the  patronage  of  the  Presbytery  of 
Transylvania ;  and  a  third  in  Virginia.  Of  the  latter  Mr. 
Graham  was  appointed  Professor,  and  the  location  being  left  to 
his  option,  he  decided  in  favor  of  Liberty  Hall. 

A  Theological  department  being  now  added  to  Liberty  Hall, 
the  Trustees  proceeded  with  great  spirit  to  erect  a  commodious 
stone  building  and  refectory,  which  were  opened  for  the  recep- 
tion of  students  in  January,  1794.  At  the  same  time  they  raised 
the  price  of  tuition  from  forty  to  fifty  shillings  per  session,  which 
was  equivalent  to  about  sixteen  dollars  and  a  half  per  annum. 
The  College  was  never  in  a  more  flourishing  condition.  A  Com- 
mittee of  the  Synod  attended  the  public  examinations.  The 
course  of  instruction  was  solid,  and  some  of  the  students  were 
pious.  But  it  was  found  difficult  to  avoid  the  accusation  of 
sectarianism,  except  by  the  sacrifice  of  efficiency  ;  and  there 
were  not  wanting  persons  who  clamored  against  the  connection 
as  a  violation  of  the  charter,*  and  of  the  intentions  of  some  of 
the  donors.  The  Synod,  in  consequence,  gradually  and  quietly 
permitted  it  to  drop.  Another  and  perhaps  the  true  reason  may 
be  assigned  for  their  abated  interest ;  that  is,  the  retirement  of 
their  Professor  in  179G.  Mr.  Graham  had  devoted  twenty-two 
of  the  best  years  of  his  life  to  rear  up  a  seminary  in  the  Valley, 
and  had  conducted  it,  after  repeated  discouragements,  to  a  state 
of  solid  and  permanent  prosperity.     While  thus  engaged,  he  had 


*  It  is  probable  tliat  during  the  revolutionary  troubles,  the  Presbytery  ceased 
to  take  any  interest  in  the  school,  and  that  when  tlie  Charter  was  obtained  in 
1782  it  was  not  supposed  necessary  to  consult  thein  or  to  recognize  any  right 
of  interference. 

4 


46 


SKETCH  OF  THE  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCHES 


received  little  or  no  compensation,  and  had  often  been  straitened 
for  even  the  necessaries  of  life.  At  fifty  years  of  age,  he  felt 
unequal  to  further  fatigue,  and  compelled  to  make  some  provi- 
sion for  the  future.  He  purchased  a  large  tract  of  land  on  the 
Ohio,  but  became  involved  in  vexatious  lawsuits,  and  was  reduced 
to  penury.  He  died  of  pleurisy,  on  a  visit  to  Richmond,  on  the 
8th  of  June,  1799. 

Mr.  Graham  was  not  in  the  habit  of  wielding  the  pen,  or  of 
reading  many  books ;  but  he  was  a  nervous  and  independent 
thinker.  His  mind  was  logical,  and  his  passion  was  perspicuity. 
Kaimes  and  Butler  were  his  favorite  authors.  He  was  distin- 
guished for  the  depth  and  boldness  of  his  investigations,  and  loved 
to  examine  every  subject  for  himself.  He  confessed  that  the 
chief  advantage  he  derived  from  books  was  from  the  table  of  con- 
tents, which  suggested  to  his  mind  matter  for  thought.  He  was 
ibnd  of  metaphysical  studies,  and  his  familiarity  with  them  gave 
him,  like  Edwards,  an  astonishing  skill  in  tracing  the  various 
windings  of  the  human  heart,  in  connection  with  Christian  expe- 
rience. As  a  preacher,  he  was  at  once  argumentative  and  im- 
pressive ;  but  it  was  as  a  teacher  that  his  excellence  was  most 
apparent.  His  lectures  were  fascinating,  from  their  originality 
and  ingenuity ;  while  his  penetrating  eye,  and  his  power  of  sar- 
casm, kept  the  most  unruly  in  awe.  He  was  a  man  who  left  his 
impression  upon  the  age  he  lived  in  ;  and  the  happy  influence  of 
his  character  and  instructions  is  visible  to  the  present  day.* 

A  benefaction  of  General  Washington  is  worthy  of  special 
notice.  The  Assembly  of  Virginia,  in  1784,  subscribed  for 
100  shares  of  James  River  Canal  Stock,  (worth,  at  S200  a 
share,  $20,000,)  which  they  presented  to  General  Washington, 
as  a  testimonial  of  their  gratitude  for  his  public  services.  This 
he  refused  to  accept,  save  on  condition  of  being  permitted  to  ap- 
propriate it  to  some  literary  institution  in  the  upper  country ;  and 
the  choice  being  referred  to  himself,  he  decided,  in  1796,  in  favor 
of  Liberty  Hall  Academy  ;  "  for,"  said  he,  "  the  past  exertions  of 
the  friends  of  Liberty  Hall  I  consider  a  guarantee,  that  if  the 

*  Graham,  Lett.  IV.  V.  VI. ;  Campbell's  Hist,  of  Virg.  pp.  304-306  ;  Memoir, 
Rice's  Mag.  vol.  iv.  pp.  75,  150,  253,  397  ;  Stuart's  Reminiscences,  No.  I. 
West.  Prcsb.  Herald,  April  6,  1837.  For  some  of  the  incidents  connected  with 
Hampden  Sidney  College,  and  the  revival,  the  author  is  indebted  to  Dr.  Alexan- 
der, Mr.  Stuart  and  Dr.  Ely  the ;  to  the  latter,  particularly,  for  the  anecdote  of 
Cary  Allen  and  himself. 


IN  THE  VALLEY  OF  VIRGINIA.  47 

funds  at  my  disposal  are  placed  in  their  power,  they  will  make  a 
proper  use  of  them."*  The  stock  was  for  a  long  time  unpro- 
ductive, but  about  the  time  of  the  donation  began  to  yield  a 
moderate  dividend.  The  Assembly  aftewards  saw  proper  to 
take  back  the  charter,  on  the  plea  of  forfeiture,  but  agreed  to  pay 
the  stockholders  15  per  cent,  forever.  The  college,  accordingly, 
receives  from  this  source  $3,000  per  annum.  As  an  acknowledg- 
ment of  General  Washington's  munificence,  the  institution  as- 
sumed, in  1812,  the  name  of  Washington  CoLLEGE.f 

In  addition  to  this  donation,  John  Robinson,  a  soldier  of  the 
Revolution,  having  no  near  kinsman  in  the  United  States,  and 
emulating  the  example  of  his  beloved  chief,  bequeathed  to  the 
college  the  whole  of  his  handsome  property,  estimated  at  $50,000  ; 
from  which  sufficient  has  been  realized  to  found  the  Robinson 
professorship.J 

Mr.  Graham. was  succeeded  in  the  Presidency  by  the  Rev.  Dr. 
George  A.  Baxter,  who  was  again  succeeded,  in  1827,  by  Louis 
Marshall,  M.D.,  of  Kentucky,  brother  of  the  chief  justice.  Pro- 
fessor Henry  Vethake  was  called  to  the  chair  in  1835 ;  and  in 
1837,  the  Rev.  Henry  Ruffner,  D.D.,  who  still  occupies  the  post, 
and  whose  interesting  manuscript  history  of  the  institution,  it  is 
hoped,  will  be  permitted  ere  long  to  see  the  light. 

The  Synod  of  Virginia  finding  a  noble  company  of  between 
thirty  and  forty  youthful  champions,  of  fine  talents  and  acquire- 
ments, panting  for  active  service,  determined  to  take  advantage 
of  the  golden  opportunity.  Accordingly,  on  the  24th  of  October 
1789,  they  appointed  "A  Committee  of  Synod  for  Missions," 
consisting  of  tour  ministers  and  four  elders :  any  two  ministers 
and  any  two  elders  of  whom  might  be  a  quorum,  with  a  treasurer 

*  Various  places  in  the  upper  country  competed  for  the  donation.  Mr.  Gra- 
ham, with  the  approbation  of  the  trustees,  forwarded  a  memorial  in  behalf  of 
Liberty  Hall,  giving  a  sketch  of  its  history,  accompanied  witii  a  map,  showing 
its  central  position.     Rice's  Mag.  vol.  iv.  p.  402. 

I  It  is  delightful  to  notice  the  repeated  instances  of  General  Washington's 
large-soulcd  liberality,  and  the  heartfelt  interest  he  took  in  the  promotion  of  liter- 
ature. At  tiie  same  time  that  the  James  river  stock  was  voted,  he  was  present- 
ed by  the  Assembly  with  50  shares  in  the  Potomac  Navigation  Company,  (vvortli, 
at  $400  a  share,  $20,000,)  which  he  afterwards  appropriated  to  a  school  in  Alex- 
andria, in  the  District  of  Columbia.  Graham,  Lett.  V.  It  will  be  seen,  in  a  sub- 
sequent chapter  of  this  work,  that  wlw.n  Dr.  BIythe  waited  on  him  at  the  seat  of 
government,  in  1792,  in  behalf  of  Kentucky  Academy,  ho  expressed  an  anxious 
solicitude  for  the  cause  of  education,  and  subscribed  $100  to  the  object,  out  of 
his  own  private  purse. 

X  Graham,  Lett.  V. 


48  SKETCH  OF  THE  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCHES 

to  receive  and  disburse  funds.  The  Rev.  Messrs.  Graham,  Scott, 
Smith  and  Mitchell,  and  ruling  elders  Charles  Allen,  Benjamin 
Rice,  John  Wilson  and  John  Lyle,  were  appointed  on  "  the  Com- 
mission," and  William  Alexander,  of  Lexington,  was  chosen 
treasurer.  The  Commission  held  their  first  meeting  at  Liberty- 
town,  Bedford  county,  April  2,  1790:  Mr.  Scott  was  the  only 
absentee.  Mr.  Mitchell  was  elected  Moderator,  and  Mr.  Gra- 
ham, Clerk.  They  divided  the  Synod  into  four  districts,  to  cor- 
respond with  the  presbyteries ;  and  agreed  to  assign  as  the  pay 
of  a  missionary,  £60  per  annum,  Virginia  currency,  in  half-yearly 
payments.  Nash  Legrand,  a  probationer  of  Hanover,  being  per- 
sonally known  to  the  members,  was  unanimously  chosen  the  first 
missionary  of  the  Synod.*  The  appropriation  was  afterwards 
restricted  to  forty  shillings  a  month,  Virginia  currency,  equal  to 
$6  60.  The  funds  were  supplied  by  the  voluntary  contributions 
of  the  people.  A  term  of  two  years'  service  was  expected  ;  and 
the  missionaries  were  required  to  keep  journals,  and  report  in 
person  at  each  annual  meeting  of  the  Synod. 

These  meetings  were  anticipated  by  the  people,  with  the  deep- 
est interest.  From  all  parts  of  the  land  they  came  up  as  to  a  solemn 
festival.  There  met  the  reverend  fathers  of  the  Synod  ;  there  met 
hoary-headed  sires ;  there  met  the  young  sons  of  the  Church ; 
and  it  was  an  affecting  spectacle  to  witness  the  tender  and  fra- 
ternal union  that  bound  heart  to  heart,  as  they  all  gathered  round 
the  sacramental  board.  And  as  one  after  another  of  the  young 
missionaries  rose  in  his  place,  and  told  of  his  toils  and  difficulties 
and  success,  the  tear  of  sympathy  coursed  down  many  a  patriarch- 
al cheek,  and  many  an  aspiration  went  up  for  Heaven's  choicest 
blessings  to  rest  upon  them.  These  seasons  were  regarded  as 
eminently  profitable  and  precious ;  they  tended  greatly  to  ani- 
mate and  encourage  the  Church,  to  fan  the  spirit  of  piety  into  a 
constant  flame,  and  to  keep  up  such  a  pleasant  and  social  interest 
in  religion,  as  to  resemble  an  antepast  of  heaven. 

The  benefits  resulting  from  those  Home  Missionary  tours,  un- 
der the  supervision  of  the  Synod,  were  of  incalculable  value. 
Previous  to  the  year  1788,  the  demoralizing  effects  of  war,  and 
the  pernicious  influence  of  infidelity,  introduced  through  con- 
nection with  the  French,  had  cast  a  blight  over  the  land,  and  cor- 

*  MS.  Extract  of  the  Minutes  of  the  Sj'nod  of  Virginia,  signed  by  William 
Graham,  stated  Clerk,  among  the  filed  papers  of  Transylvania  Presbytery. 


IN  THE  VALLEY  OF  VIRGINIA.  49 

rupted  the  habits  of  the  rising  generation.  The  few  pulpits  in 
Virginia  were  occupied  by  men  superannuated,  or  past  the  prime 
of  hfe ;  and  the  spectacle  of  a  young  man  abandoning  the  more 
lucrative  and  popular  professions  for  the  ministry,  was  rarely  or 
never  seen,  and  would  have  excited  universal  astonishment.  It 
was  at  this  gloomy  juncture,  when  the  Church  lay  humbled  in  the 
dust,  that  He  "with  whom  it  is  nothing  to  help,  whether  with 
many  or  with  them  that  have  no  power,"  graciously  interposed, 
and  by  his  Divine  Spirit  brought  about  a  sudden  and  joyful  trans- 
formation. The  remarkable  work  of  grace,  in  which  so  many 
young  men  were  led  to  devote  themselves  as  heralds  of  the  cross, 
was,  by  their  means,  perpetuated  and  extended.  Brighter  pros- 
pects dawned  upon  Zion ;  Churches  gasping  for  existence  were 
resuscitated,  new  congregations  started  into  being,  and  the  pro- 
gress of  infidelity  and  immorality  received  a  signal  check.  The 
salutary  effects  are  still  apparent.  Many  of  the  now  flourishing 
Churches  in  the  lower  counties  owe  their  origin  to  this  epoch ; 
while  there  is  scarce  a  romantic  dell  embosomed  among  the  huge 
mountain  ranges,  however  unpromising  its  religious  aspect  may 
formerly  have  been,  whose  echoes  are  not  regularly  waked  by 
the  voice  of  hallowed  praise  upon  the  Sabbath  day.* 

A  few  of  these  devoted  servants  of  Christ  found  their  way  into 
Kentucky,  to  narrate  whose  adventures  shall  be  the  labor  of  a 
subsequent  chapter.  Here  must  be  brought  to  a  close  our 
sketch  of  the  Churches  in  the  Valley  of  Virginia.  We  have 
traced  their  progress  from  the  earliest  notice  of  their  settlement, 
in  1719,  along  the  advancing  century,  to  its  close.  By  the  good 
hand  of  their  God  upon  them,  they  made  the  wilderness  literally, 
as  well  as  metaphorically,  blossom  as  the  rose.  The  promise 
was  amply  verified,  "  Them  that  honor  me,  will  I  honor." 
From  the  first  day  that  the  axe  rang  through  those  mountain 
solitudes,  the  wily  savage  receded  before  them ;  and  smiling 
farms,  capacious  churches,  and  flourishing  villages,  gradually 
covered  hill  and  dale.  The  persecution  of  lordly  prelates,  that 
had  chased  them  into  the  wilderness,  followed  them  no  farther. 


*  This  sketch  of  early  missions  is  derived  from  the  graphic  description  of  one 
who  was  himself  a  subject  of  the  revival,  and  who  was  employed  in  the  field,  the 
Rev.  Robert  Stuart.  lie  still  survives ;  and  we  shall  meet  his  name  again  in  the 
historj'  of  the  Kentucky  Churches.  See  Stuart's  Reminiscences  ;  No.  1  West 
Presb.  Her^  April  6,  1837. 


50  VALLEY  OF  VIRGINIA. 

In  quiet  and  obscurity  they  gathered  strength,  until  their  voice 
rose  to  be  potential  in  the  land  ;  prince  and  prelate  were  strip- 
ped of  their  authority :  and  the  rolling  tide  of  colonization, 
fraught  with  blessings,  dashed  its  spray  over  the  Appalachian 
range  and  pervaded  the  boundless  West. 

In  this  sequestered  Valley  literature  and  religion  flourished 
hand  in  hand ;  and  posterity  will  love  to  associate  with  its 
peaceful  retreats  the  honored  names  of  a  Waddel,  famed  for 
matchless  eloquence  ;  a  Graham,  skilled  in  training  up  advocates 
for  Christ ;  a  Speece,  accomplished  in  various  learning ;  a 
HoGE,  esteemed  for  his  sweet  and  apostolic  piety ;  a  Campbell, 
brilliant  and  adroit  in  polemical  tactics ;  and  an  Alexander, 
versed  in  the  intricate  lore  of  the  human  heart. 


CHAPTER     II 


FIRST  SETTLEMENT  OF  KENTUCKY.— INTRODUCTION  OF  PRESBYTE- 
IIIANISM.— MR.   RICE  AND  HIS  LABORS. 

About  the  middle  of  the  last  century,  when  Kentucky  was  yet 
a  wilderness,  untrodden  by  the  foot  of  the  white  man,  and  the 
Blue  Ridge  was  still  regarded  as  the  western  frontier  of  the 
Ancient  Dominion,*  (notwithstanding  the  expedition  of  Governor 
Spotswood  and  his  Knights  of  the  Golden  Horseshoe,!)  the 
French,  with  characteristic  alertness,  were  busily  securing  the 
Valley  of  the  Mississippi  by  a  chain  of  forts  from  the  Canadas 
to  Louisiana.  Their  missionaries  and  traders,  in  frail  birch 
canoes,  had  pushed  their  discoveries  from  the  mouth  of  the 
Father  of  Waters  to  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony,  adapting  them- 
selves with  wonderful  versatility  to  every  change  of  circum- 
stances, and  conciliating  the  various  Indian  tribes  with  whom 
they  came  in  contact.  But  while  the  subjects  of  the  Grand 
Monarque  were  coveting  with  eagerness  the  wide  and  fertile 
region  beyond  the  Alleghanies,  England  and  her  colonies  seem 
to  have  been  singularly  ignorant  of  its  vast  extent  and  resources. 
They  took  up  arms,  not  so  much  to  secure  a  rich  and  valuable 
territory,  as  to  prevent  the  proximity  of  dangerous  neighbors. 
At  the  very  period  when  war  was  raging,  and  Braddock  was 
on  his  disastrous  march  to  Fort  Du  Quesne,  Kentucky  and  all 
the  charming  region  of  the  Ohio,  although  defended  with  great 
pertinacity,  appear  to  have  been  unknown  except  to  a  few  In- 
dian-traders and  hunters  who  had  penetrated  above  the  Cum- 


*  "  So  late  as  the  year  1756,  the  Blue  Ridge  was  the  north-western  frontier." 
Marshall's  Washington,  vol.  i.  p.  15. 

f  For  an  anmsino;  account  of  this  expedition,  and  the  establishment  of  the 
Tramontane  order,  with  the  decoration  of  a  golden  horse-shoe  studded  with  pre- 
cious stones,  as  an  inducement  to  gentlemen  to  make  discoveries  and  new  set- 
tlements, see  Hall's  Sketches  of  the  West,  vol.  i.  p.  185. 


52  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  KENTUCKY. 

berland  Gap,  and  liad  viewed  with  delight  the  landscape  thai 
stretched  away  toward  the  setting  sun  like  an  undulating  sea  of 
verdure.* 

A  rude  map,  constructed  by  Lewis  Evans  in  1752,  seems  to 
have  given  the  first  definite  idea  of  this  region,t  and,  together 
with  the  reports  that  were  circulated,  inspired  curiosity.  Seve- 
ral exploring  parties  visited  Kentucky,  among  whom  the  McAfees 
were  prominent  in  1773  ;  but  no  permanent  settlement  was 
effected  till  April  1st,  1775,  when  Daniel  Boone  erected  the  fort 
of  Boonesborough,  consisting  of  a  stockade  with  blockhouses  at 
the  four  corners  of  the  enclosure. J  Forts  were  also  erected  at 
Harrod's  Town,  Boiling  Spring,  and  St.  Asaph's ;  and  the  pro- 
prietors called  a  Convention  of  Delegates  from  these  settlements 
in  the  month  of  May  following,  to  form  a  colonial  government. 
The  house  was  organized  by  the  election  of  Col.  Thomas 
Slaughter,  as  Chairman ;  Mathew  Jewett,  Clerk  ;  Rev.  John 
Lythe,  Chaplain,  and  Robert  McAfee,  Sergeant-at-arms.  Col. 
Henderson  then  opened  the  Convention  w'ith  a  speech,  in  the 
name  of  the  Proprietors.  The  growing  dissatisfaction  of  the 
community  with  this  scheme,  the  establishment  of  the  national 
independence,  and  the  jealousy  of  the  Virginia  Assembly,  ere 
long  put  a  stop  to  the  experiment.  The  company  were 
obliged  to  relinquish  their  title  in  1781,  but  were  indemnified  by 
the  grant  of  a  large  tract  of  200,000  acres,  or  twelve  miles 
square,  between  the  forks  of  the  Ohio  and  Green  rivers,  at  pre- 
sent included  in  the  county  of  Henderson,  which  was  so  called 
from  the  man  who  was  the  life  and  soul  of  the  enterprise. 
North  Carolina  granted  them  a  like  quantity  of  land  in  Powell's 
Valley.  Thus  ended,  after  six  year's  duration,  this  splendid 
essay  at  a  Proprietary  government,  in  which  we  may  well  ad- 
mire the  enterprise  of  its  author,  the  grandeur  of  the  plan,  and 
the  wisdom  of  its  execution. § 


*  Imlay's  Topograph.  Descr.  of  the  West.  Terr.  p.  5. 

f  Winterbotham,  vol.  i.  p.  170. 

j  Hall,  vol.  i.  pp.  239,  240,  241.  Boone's  Narrative  dictated  to  Filson,  Imlay, 
p.  343. 

5  For  a  fuller  biography  of  this  strong-minded  and  self-taught  man,  Colonel 
Henderson,  see  Smyth's  Tour,  vol.  i.  p.  124.  Imlay,  pp.  7,  309.  Hall,  vol.  i.  pp. 
250—278,  ii.  pp.  221— 276.  Marshall's  Hist,  of  Ky.  vol.  i.  p.  13;  and  No- 
tices of  the  Early  Settlement  of  Kentucky,  by  the  author  of  this  liistory,  pp. 
97—102. 


PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  KENTUCKY.  53 

While  these  transactions  were  taking  place  on  the  south  side 
of  the  Kentucky  river,  Frankfort,  Louisville,  and  Lexington, 
were  rising  into  existence  on  the  northern  side.  The  momentous 
battle  which  gave  a  name  to  the  latter,  was  fought  in  Massa- 
chusetts on  the  19th  of  April,  1775.  A  party  of  hunters — so 
runs  the  current  tradition — had  kindled  their  evening  fire,  and 
were  seated  on  their  buflalo  robes  around  its  cheerful  blaze, 
deliberating,  as  may  be  supposed,  upon  the  name  by  which  they 
should  designate  the  newly-selected  site,  when  the  news  arrived. 
In  the  enthusiasm  of  the  moment,  the  sj)ot  was  named  Lexington 
by  acclamation,  to  commemorate  the  important  event.  Lex- 
ington throve  rapidly,  and  rose  to  be,  for  a  considerable  time, 
the  metropolis  of  the  West.* 

The  first  explorers  of  Kentucky  spread  everywhere,  on  their 
return,  the  most  glowing  accounts  of  what  they  had  seen.  The 
luxuriance  of  the  soil ;  the  salubrity  of  the  climate ;  the  dim- 
pled and  undulating  face  of  the  country  ;  the  tall  waving  cane 
and  native  clover ;  the  magnificent  groves  of  sugar-tree  and 
walnut ;  the  countless  herds  of  buffalo  and  elk ;  the  pure  and 
limpid  brooks  ;  the  deeply-channelled  rivers,  sweeping  between 
precipitous  limestone  cliffs,  several  hundred  feet  in  height ;  the 
verdure  of  the  vegetation  ;  the  air  loaded  with  fragrance  ;  the 
groves  resonant  with  melody  ;  and  the  various  charms  peculiar 
to  the  spring ;  all  conspired  to  invest  the  newly  discovered  re- 
gion with  an  air  of  romance,  that  seemed  to  realize  the  dreams 
of  the  poets.  Nature  has,  indeed,  been  lavish  of  her  gifts  to  this 
favorite  spot ;  and,  although  the  buffalo  has  long  since  disap- 


*  Flint's  Hist,  and  Geogr.  of  the  Mississippi  Valley,  vol.  i.  p.  353.  It  is  not 
the  business  of  the  present  historian  to  adjust  conflicting  disputes  about  civil 
dates  or  the  priority  of  this  or  that  settlement.  The  fort  of  Boonesborough 
was  erected  April  1st,  1775  ;  Harrodsburg  was  laid  out  in  lots  and  three  or  four 
cabins  built  in  June,  1774,  but  forsaken  on  account  of  Indian  assaults  till 
March,  15th,  1775;  the  survey  of  Frankfort  was  made  by  Robert  McAfee,  July 
16th,  1773,  but  not  settled  till  some  years  afterwards;  Louisville  was  first 
visited  by  Capt.  Bullitt,  July  I'ith,  1773,  but  no  permanent  settlement  was 
made  till  late  in  1778,  under  Col.  Clark,  who  erected  a  fort ;  after  which  it  be- 
came a  principal  point  of  landing  ;  Lexington  was  laid  oft'  about  May  or  June, 
1775.  But  there  was  a  French  village  built  during  the  French  war,  perhaps 
about  1753,  opposite  the  mouth  of  the  Scioto.  It  consisted  of  nineteen  or  twenty 
good  logcaljins,  with  clapboard  roofs,  doors,  windows,  chimneys,  and  some  cleared 
ground.  It  was  passed  by  Captain  Bullitt  and  the  McAfee  company  on  their 
way,  June  11th,  1773  ;  but  there  is  no  evidence  of  these  French  settlers  having 
ever  penetrated  into  the  interior.  See  McAfee's  Sketches,  No.  I.  Frankfort 
Commonwealth,  June  1st,  1841. 


54  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  KENTUCKY. 

peared,  and  the  face  of  the  country,  reclaimed  from  a  state  of 
nature,  exhibits  fewer  of  those  wild  features  which  made  it  so 
picturesque,  the  traveller  still  pauses  to  offer  the  tribute  of  his 
admiration. 

Upon  Boone  the  view  burst  with  the  suddenness  and  splendor 
of  enchantment.  After  a  dreary  route  through  the  wilderness, 
he  descried,  from  an  eminence  near  Red  river,  clothed  in  all  the 
loveliness  of  spring,  that  extensive  champaign  country  in  the 
very  heart  of  Kentucky,  on  the  border  of  which  he  was  then 
standing ;  and  which  constitutes  a  body  of  land,  if  the  united 
testimony  of  travellers  may  be  credited,  among  the  finest  and 
most  agreeable  in  the  world  ;  contrasted  with  the  sterile  soil  of 
North  Carolina,  which  he  had  just  left,  it  appeared,  to  use  his 
own  words,  a  second  paradise.*  The  soberest  historians  are 
betrayed  into  hyperbole  when  speaking  of  this  region,  and  style 
it  a  great  natural  park,  the  Eden  of  the  red  man.f 

Fired,  by  the  descriptions  given  of  this  delightful  country, 
crowds  began  to  flock  thither  from  every  quarter.  The  rush 
was  unexampled.  Besides  the  inviting  character  of  the  new 
Hesperia,  the  easy  terms  on  which  land  could  be  procured 
gave  an  additional  stimulus  to  emigration.  The  Virginia  pat- 
ents were  of  three  classes  :  pre-emption  rights,  military  grants, 
and  warrants  from  the  land-office.  The  last  were  issued  with  in- 
considerate profuseness  ;  and,  although  most  of  the  valuable  land 
was  already  taken  up  by  the  holders  of  the  other  patents,  more 
warrants  were,  in  a  short  time,  issued,  as  Captain  Imlay,  himself  a 
land  commissioner,  assures  us,  than  would  have  covered  half  the 
territory  within  the  limits  of  the  district.^  The  natural  conse- 
quence was  land-jobbing,  litigation,  long  heart-burnings  between 
families,  and  the  retardation  of  agriculture  for  thirty  years  in  the 
adjustment  of  confiicting  claims.§  Tempting  Plots  were  circu- 
lated, elegantly,  embellished  with  fine  groves,  meadows,  and 
imaginary  mill-seats.     Towns  were  laid  off  with  all  the  formal 


*  Boone's  Narr.  Imlay,  pp.  338,  341,  343. 

+  Butler,  p.  90.  Imlay,  Filson,  and  Smyth,  among  the  earlier,  and  Flint, 
Hall,  De  la  Vigne,  Martineau,  and  Murray,  among  the  later  writers,  employ 
language  scarcely  less  glowing  than  Boone  ;  and  seem  to  vie  with  each  other 
in  searching  for  terms  sufficiently  eulogistic. 

I  Imlay,  p.  8. 

^  Hon.  Chilton  Allen's  address  before  the  State  Agricultural  Society,  Ob- 
server and  Reporter,  1838.     Butler,  p.  138. 


PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  KENTUCKY.  gg-. 

pomp  of  Streets,  squares,  and  public  buildings ;  some  of  which, 
unfortunately  for  the  speculators  in  the  lots,  exist  to  this  day 
only  on  paper.* 

In  spite  of  danger,  distance,  fatigue,  and  all  the  discomforts 
incident  to  a  new  country,  the  tide  continued  to  flow  without  an 
ebb.f  Originally,  a  part  of  Fincastle  county,  Virginia,  Ken- 
tucky was  set  off  as  a  separate  county,  with  a  municipal  court, 
in  1776 ;  as  a  district,  in  1780,  embracing  three  counties,  Jeffer- 
son, Lincoln,  and  Fayette ;  and,  finally,  she  took  her  place  as  a 
sovereign  State,  and  a  member  of  the  Union,  June  1st,  1792 ; 
only  seventeen  years  from  the  first  stroke  of  the  pick^e'upon 

the  soil. J 

This  extraordinary  influx  did  not  take  place  without  opposi- 
tion. Kentucky,  inhabited  by  none  of  the  Indian  tribes,  and 
exhibiting  no  traces  of  their  villages,  had  been  regarded  as  the 
common  hunting-ground  and  battle-ground  of  all.  Here  the 
Cherokee  of  the  South,  and  the  Miami  of  the  North,  resorted  to 
pursue  the  chase ;  and  often  the  buffalo  visited  the  salt-lick  in 
safety,  and  the  elk  leaped  upon  the  mountain,  while  the  painted 
warriors  expended  their  ferocity  upon  each  other.  The  name, 
Can-tuck-kee,  pronounced  with  a  strong  emphasis,  is  said  to  owe 
its  origin  to  the  country  having  been  the  arena  of  frequent  con- 
flicts ;  being  interpreted  by  some  to  mean,  The  Middle  Ground, 
but  most  commonly,  The  Dark  and  Bloody  Ground.^  Although 
the  entire  territory  was  over  and  over  again  purchased  of  the 
Indian  tribes,  and  their  title  completely  extinguished,]]  the  fore- 
warning of  the  Cherokee  chief  to  Boone,  at  Watauga,  was  amply 
verified,  when  he  said,  as  he  took  him  by  the  hand,  "  Brother,  we 
have  given  you  a  fine  land,  but  I  believe  you  will  have  much 
trouble  in  settling  it."1f  Not  a  solitary  wigwam  was  ever 
burned  on  the  soil,  not  a  single  red  man  expatriated  by  the  ne- 
gotiations ;  but  the  savages  were  incensed  at  seeing  their 
beautiful  hunting-grounds  occupied  by  strangers  ;  and  nothing 
vexed  them  more  than  the  erection  of  buildings.     They  made 


*  Imkv,  p.  9. 

f  Marshall,  vol.  ii.  p.  332. 

X  Butler,  pp.  89,  118,  211. 

\  Butler,  pp.  9,  132.     Filson,  in  Tmlay,  p.  308. 

II  Imlay,  p.  6 ;  Hall,  vol.  i.  p.  247 ;  Filson,  p.  309. 

IT  Imlay,  p.  358. 


56  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  KENTUCKY. 

perpetual  inroads,  and  were  expelled  only  after  repeated  and 
desperate  struggles  ;  and  no  border  annals  teem  with  more 
thrilling  incidents  and  heroic  exploits,  than  those  of  the  Ken- 
tucky Hunters.*  Their  very  name  at  length  struck  terror  into 
the  heart  of  the  stoutest  savage.  Well  did  the  soil  earn  the  em- 
phatic title  by  which  it  has  been  designated.  And  it  may  be 
added,  as  if  the  propensity  was  engendered  by  the  climate,  it 
has  not  unfrequently  since  been  characteristic  of  Kentucky,  to 
be  the  arena  of  personal,  political,  and  ecclesiastical  conflicts, 
more  severely  contested  and  more  intensely  exciting,  than  any 
other  part  of  the  Union  has  witnessed.  To  Kentucky  may  be 
applied  what  was  said  of  Pontus,  "  Omne  quod  flat  Aquilo  est.' 
It  is,  consequently,  rich  in  materials  for  history. 

Seldom  has  a  country  been  peopled  under  circumstances  so 
auspicious  to  the  formation  of  a  bold,  independent,  magnanimous, 
homogeneous  character.  With  the  exception  of  an  inconsider- 
able number  from  North  Carolina,  Maryland,  Pennsylvania,  and 
other  quarters,  the  great  body  of  the  settlers  was  furnished  by 
Virginia.  It  was  but  the  Old  Dominion  expanded.  They 
cherished  the  feelings  and  the  name  of  Virginians ;  and  to  this 
day  a  frank  hospitality,  a  manly  bearing,  and  an  irrepressible  love 
of  adventure,  unequivocally  indicate  their  parentage,  especially 
in  the  rural  districts.  The  military  grants  brought  a  number  of 
gallant  officers  to  Kentucky,  who  had  served  in  the  war  of  the 
Revolution,  many  of  whom  were  in  easy  circumstances,  and 
whose  superior  education  and  intelligence  naturally  caused 
them  to  be  looked  up  to  as  leaders  and  models  ;  and  their  influ- 
ence, with  the  early  introduction  of  female  society,  gave  tone  to 
the  manners  of  the  rising  community,  and  polished  the  rudeness 
^v  of  the  hunter-state.f  The  stirring  nature  of  the  times  ;  the  free 
discussion  of  political  questions  ;  the  frequent  conventions  ;  and 
the  being  left  to  fight  their  own  battles  and  mould  their  own 
institutions  without  interference  or  co-operation  from  other 
quarters ;  generated  an  acuteness  of  intellect  and  a  habit  of 
independent  thought,  which  hesitate  not  to  grapple  with  any 
difficulty  upon  any  subject.     Hence  the  predominant  character- 


*  Of  these  Mr.  McClung  has  collected  an  interesting  volume.  See 
McClung's  Sketches. 

t  Imlay,  pp.  168,  170,  321.  Flint's  Ten  Year's  Recollections  of  the  Valley 
of  the  Mississippi,  pp.  63,  71.     Hall,  vol.  ii.  pp.  94,  96. 


PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  KENTUCKY.  57 

istic  of  Western  mind  has  come  to  be  a  restless  activity,  that 
takes  no  opinion  on  trust,  and  brooks  no  control  ;  that  laughs  at 
caution,  and  is  a  stranger  to  fear.  The  natural  tendency  of 
such  a  disposition  is  to  rashness  on  one  hand,  and  caprice  on  the 
other ;  it  is  liable  to  be  swayed  by  impulse  rather  than  princi- 
ple ;  and  the  excited  feelings  get  the  mastery  of  the  cooler 
judgment. 

Scions  of  a  noble  stock,  reared  in  the  storm,  and  trained  to 
self-reUance,  it  is  not  surprising  that  their  strength  of  character 
should  give  them  the  ascendency  among  the  younger  colonies  of 
the  Great  Valley.  The  men  that  scaled  the  Alleghanies  were 
no  common  men  ;  they  were  young,  or  in  the  prime  of  life  ;  of" 
limited  education  indeed,  but  robust,  shrewd,  and  enterprising. 
Kentucky  has  been  justly  styled  the  Mother  of  the  West.  Not 
only  was  she  the  State  earliest  settled ;  her  sons  have  been 
everywhere  foremost ;  and  from  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony  to  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico,  to  have  been  born  and  reared  in  Kentucky  has 
ever  constituted  a  recommendation  to  the  highest  offices,  as  po- 
tent as  the  prescriptive  claim  which  birth  in  Old  Spain  used  to 
confer  in  her  colonies.*  Emphatically  may  it  be  said  of  her, 
as  of  Bethlehem  Ephratah,  out  of  her  have  come  forth  governors 
to  rule  the  people.f  Such  is  the  commanding  position  of  the 
State,  of  whose  early  beginnings  we  have  furnished  a  hasty  re- 
trospect. The  seed  planted  with  difficulty  and  watered  with 
blood,  has  taken  deep  root  in  the  prolific  soil ;  it  has  shot  forth 
its  branches  like  the  goodly  cedars,  it  has  filled  the  whole  valley, 
and  the  hills  are  covered  by  its  shadow.  Cradled  between  the 
Alleghanies  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  Rocky  Mountains  on  the 
other,  lies  a  young  giant,  sporting  in  the  greatness  of  his  strength, 
and  already  putting  forth  energies  the  limits  of  which  are  abso- 
lutely incalculable. 

Among  the  early  settlers  of  Kentucky,  the  McAfee  Company 
deserve  a  distinct  notice,  not  merely  because  their  various  ad- 
ventures and  perils  are  a  lively  specimen  of  the  extremities  to 


*  Butler,  p.  17.     Flint's!  Recoil,  p.  73. 

f  That  tfiis  is  not  a  mere  rhetorical  tlourish  will  he  evident  from  a  considera- 
tion of  the  number  of  governors  and  lieutenant-governors  furnished  by  Kentucky 
to  other  States  and  Territories  of  the  Union,  amounting  to  not  less  than  twenty- 
one  ;  to  say  nothing  of  other  distinguished  personages. — See  the  author's  No- 
tices of  Kentucky,  pp.  141-144. 


58  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  KENTUCKY 

which  the  colonists  were  often  reduced,  but  chiefly  on  account 
of  their  intimate  connection  with  the  planting  of  the  Church,* 

The  first  party  who  left  their  homes  in  Botetourt  county,  in 
the  Valley  of  Virginia,  to  explore  the  western  wilds,  with  a 
double  view  to  future  residence  and  to  distinction  as  the  earliest 
adventurers,  were  James,  George,  and  Robert  McAfee,  James 
McCoun,  senior,  and  Samuel  Adams  ;  all  except  the  last  named, 
who  was  a  mere  stripling,  heads  of  families ;  and  all  the  five 
men  of  good  character  and  religious  principles.  They  were 
firm  believers  in  an  overruling  Providence ;  and  in  that  persua- 
sion hesitated  not  to  undertake  the  long  and  difficult  journey ; 
and  their  subsequent  history  will  show  that  they  were  not  disap- 
pointed. 

They  started  on  the  10th  of  May,  1773,  and  descended  the 
Kenawha  and  Ohio  rivers  in  canoes  and  a  batteau.  On  their 
way  they  fell  in  with  Bullitt,  Douglass,  and  Hancock  Taylor, 
with  a  number  of  persons  who  had  served  in  the  French  war, 
going  to  make  surveys  of  the  proclamation-right  or  military  lands 
granted  to  the  soldiers  of  that  war.  Capt.  Bullitt  left  them  to 
visit  Chilicothe,  where  he  had  a  talk  with  the  Shawnees,  and  was 
treated  with  great  hospitality  ;  the  Indians  making  no  objections 
to  the  land  being  settled,  provided  the  right  of  hunting  on  it  were 
reserved  to  them.  After  he  rejoined  the  company,  they  proceed- 
ed to  the  mouth  of  the  Licking,  and  visited  Big  Bone  Lick,t 
where  the  fossil  remains  of  the  mammoth  were  found  in  great 
numbers,  and  which  a  Delaware  Indian,  seventy  years  old,  told 
them  had  been  lying  there  since  he  was  a  boy.  At  the  mouth 
of  the  Kentucky  river  they  parted  company,  Bullitt  going  on  to 


*  The  account  which  follows  has  been  derived  from  a  valuable  manuscript, 
entitled  "  The  History  of  the  Rise  and  Progress  of  the  First  Settlements  on  Salt 
river,  and  Establishment  of  the  New  Providence  Church."  This  volume  has 
been  laboriously  compiled  from  original  and  authentic  documents,  by  General 
Robert  E.  McAfee,  of  Mercer  county,  formerly  Lieutenant-Governor  of  the 
State,  and  Author  of  a  History  of  the  Late  War.  See  also  Sketches  of  the  First 
Settlements  in  Kentucky,  No.  1.,  by  the  same  hand,  in  the  Lomsville  Journal, 
May  24,  1841. 

f  In  regions  so  far  distant  from  the  sea,  we  may  admire  the  goodness  of  Pro- 
vidence in  scattering  numerous  salt  springs  over  the  Great  Valley,  thus  furnish- 
ing a  plentiful  supply  of  an  article  useful,  if  not  essential  to  health.  These 
springs  were  eageriy  sought  by  the  buffalo  and  other  animals,  who  resorted 
thither  in  great  numbers,  and  greedily  licked  the  earth  impregnated  with  saline 
deposits.  From  this  circumstance  they  derived  the  name  of  Licks ;  of  which 
there  is  a  great  variety,— Bigbone  Lick,  Drennon's  Lick,  Blue  Lick,  Paint  Lick, 
Mud  Lick,  &,c. 


PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  KENTUCKY. 


59 


the  Falls  of  Ohio,  where  he  made  surveys  of  the  site  of  Louis- 
ville ;  while  Taylor  and  the  McAfees  ascended  the  river  into  the 
interior.  At  Drennon's  Lick  they  found  thousands  of  buffalo, 
deer,  and  elk,  together  with  bears,  wolves,  eagles  and  other  birds 
of  prey.  For  miles  around  the  country  was  bare  of  grass,  and 
the  buffalo  tracks  were  as  wide  and  well-defined  as  a  common 
highway.  Here  James  McAfee  and  Adams  were  in  imminent 
danger  of  their  lives  from  a  herd  of  five  hundred  buffaloes  be- 
coming alarmed,  and  rushing  in  a  solid  body  toward  the  spot 
where  they  stood.  Adams  had  barely  time  to  climb  a  tree,  and 
McAfee  sprang  behmd  another,  by  pressing  closely  to  which 
laterally,  he  escaped  being  crushed,  although  the  horns  of  the 
huge  animals  grazed  the  bark  on  both  sides.  Following  the 
buffalo  track  they  reached  the  valley  in  which  Frankfort  now 
stands ;  where  Robert  McAfee  made  a  survey  of  six  hundred 
acres,  including  the  site  of  the  capital. 

When  they  reached  Salt  river,  on  the  21st  of  July,  they  fixed 
upon  it  as  their  future  home,  and  surveyed  several  four  hundred 
acre  tracts  for  themselves  and  friends,  cutting  down  brush- 
wood and  deadening  timber.  The  surveys  extended  above 
Harrodsburg.  On  the  31st,  the  McAfees  turned  their  faces 
homeward,  along  the  middle  fork  of  the  Kentucky  river,  and 
across  the  Cumberland  mountain  and  Powell's  Valley.  On  the 
way  they  met  Boone  with  his  family,  and  forty  other  persons, 
removing  to  Kentucky ;  whose  enterprise,  however,  was  frus- 
trated at  that  time  by  an  attack  of  the  Indians,  and  the  death  of 
Boone's  eldest  son. 

The  journey  was  accomplished  under  showers  of  rain,  and 
various  hardships.  At  the  foot  of  the  mountains  their  provisions 
tailed,  and  game  was  difficult  to  procure.  The  passage  across 
proved  a  very  laborious  undertaking,  as  it  was  obstructed  by 
laurel,  underbrush,  and  pine.  On  the  12th  of  August  they  had 
toiled  up  to  the  highest  point  of  the  craggy  range  dividing  the 
headwaters  of  the  Kentucky  and  the  Clinch  rivers  ;  but  it  was 
a  region  that  seemed  the  abode  of  desolation.  Barren  and  heat- 
ed rocks  frowned  on  every  side,  and  silence  and  solitude  reigned 
uninterrupted.  Not  a  living  creature  was  to  be  seen,  not  a  bird 
cheered  them  with  its  wild  notes,  nor  an  insect  with  its  painted 
wing.  They  were  exposed  to  a  broiling  sun  ;  their  feet  w^ere 
blistered ;  their  legs  were  torn  and  raw  from  the  laceration  of 


60  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  KENTUCKY. 

the  briers;  they  were  literally  starving,  not  having  had  a  mouth- 
ful to  eat  for  two  days ;  and,  to  complete  their  distress,  the 
springs  were  all  dried  up  by  the  excessive  heat. 

Here  was  a  combniation  of  misfortunes  sufficient  to  appall  the 
stoutest  heart.  The  day  was  drawing  to  a  close,  the  sun  was 
sinking  in  the  west,  and  gilding  the  mountain  crags  with  his 
retiring  beams,  yet  they  had  not  seen  a  solitary  animal  that 
could  serve  for  food,  and  the  scanty  herbage  was  unfit  for  sus- 
tenance. Exhausted  by  fatigue,  hunger  and  despair,  George 
McAfee  and  young  Adams  threw  themselves  on  the  ground, 
declaring  that  they  were  unable  to  proceed  a  step  further.  As 
a  last  desperate  effort,  Robert  McAfee  took  his  rifle  and  com- 
passed the  ridge  in  quest  of  game,  and  had  not  proceeded  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  when  a  young  buck  crossed  his  path  ;  and, 
although  agitated  by  intense  feelings,  he  was  so  good  a  marks- 
man as  to  bring  him  down  at  the  first  shot.  On  hearing  the 
report  of  his  gun,  the  rest  of  the  company,  forgetting  their 
fatigue,  sprang  up,  and  ran  to  the  spot  whence  the  sound  had 
proceeded.  The  food  thus  opportunely  furnished,  they  devoured 
with  keen  appetites,  and  slaked  their  thirst  from  a  brook  which 
was  found  adjacent ;  while  their  hearts  overflowed  with  grati- 
tude to  that  Providence  which,  by  so  timely  an  interposition, 
had  rescued  them  from  the  jaws  of  death.  Recruited  in  strength 
they  resumed  their  journey,  and  reached  their  homes  in  sixteen 
days  from  starting  ;  where,  in  spite  of  the  hardships  and  hazards 
attending  the  exploit,  the  accounts  they  published  inspired  a 
general  enthusiasm  to  imitate  their  example. 

Indian  wars,  and  the  battle  of  Kenawha,  detained  them  iu 
Virginia  during  the  succeeding  year,  while  Harrod  and  his 
party  were  laying  ofl"  the  town  now  known  as  Harrodsburg  ; 
but  the  year  1775  again  found  them  among  the  cane-brakes. 
Robert,  Samuel,  and  William  McAfee  allowed  themselves  to  be 
persuaded  by  Col.  Henderson  to  unite  their  fortunes  with  his, 
against  the  advice  of  their  elder  brother,  James,  who  assured 
them  that  Henderson's  claim  could  not  be  valid,  being  destitute 
of  the  sanction  of  government.  They  went  to  Boonesborough, 
entered  land  and  raised  corn,  but,  as  was  predicted,  the  scheme 
proved  abortive.  In  the  fall,  the  company  were  reunited, 
consisting  of  James,  William,  George,  and  Robert  McAfee, 
George  McGee,  David  Adams,  John  McCoun,  and  some  others  ; 


PRESBYTEIIIANISM  IN  KENTUCKY. 


61 


and,  under  the  protection  of  Harrod's  Station,  they  planted 
fifteen  acres  in  corn.  A  part  of  them  wintered  here,  while  the 
rest  went  back  to  Virginia,  leaving  forty  head  of  cattle  to  fatten 
on  the  succulent  cane  and  luxuriant  herbage. 

In  May,  1776,  the  last-mentioned  party  packed  up  their 
household  property  and  farming  utensils,  with  a  quantity  of 
seeds  of  various  kinds,  barrels  of  corn  and  flour,  and  stores  of 
coffee,  sugar  and  spices,  not  omitting  a  few  bottles  of  whiskey 
and  spirits,  which  they  placed  for  security  in  the  middle  of  the 
flour  and  corn  barrels  ;  and  attempted  to  convey  them  in  canoes 
down  the  Gauley  and  Kenawha  rivers ;  but,  finding  this 
impracticable,  they  resolved  to  go  back  for  pack-horses. 
Having  built  a  strong  log  cabin,  or  cache,  they  deposited  in  it 
all  their  moveables,  and,  covering  it  with  bark,  left  it  in  this 
situation.  The  rumor  of  hostilities  caused  a  delay  of  several 
months  ;  and  when  they  returned,  in  September,  they  found,  to 
their  mortification,  the  cache  had  been  rifled  by  a  runaway 
convict  servant,  who  had  wantonly  wasted  their  most  valuable 
stores,  which  they  had  been  for  years  collecting,  and  could 
with  difficulty  replace.  The  miserable  wa-etch  narrowly 
escaped  summary  punishment ;  and,  as  they  were  now  obliged 
to  return,  they  carried  him  along  and  gave  him  up  to  his  master, 
from  whom,  in  all  probability,  he  received  such  a  scourging  as 
made  him  more  desirous  to  run  away  than  ever. 

The  war  with  Great  Britain,  in  which  the  members  of  this 
company  and  all  their  connections  heartily  united,  hindered  the 
resumption  of  their  darling  project  for  the  next  two  years  ; 
during  which  time  the  cattle  they  had  imported  ran  wild  in  the 
woods,  or  fell  the  prey  of  Indian  marauders,  and  were  irrecov- 
erably lost.  The  year  1779  saw  these  enterprising  adventurers 
settled  with  their  families  on  their  new  domain,  having  passed 
the  Cumberland  Gap  with  pack-horses.  Their  first  care  was  to 
fortify  themselves  in  a  quadrangular  enclosure  of  cabins  and 
stockades,  to  which  was  given  the  name  of  McAfeeh  Station* 


*  The  settlements  were  called  Stations,  from  the  circumstance  of  beino-  for- 
tified, and  thence  becoming  rallying  points  :  as,  Ilarrod's  Station  ;  Wilson's 
Station  ;  McAfee's  Station ;  Crow's  Station  (Danville)  ;  Haggin's  Station  (a 
mile  from  Cane  Run  Mceting-IIouse)  ;  McGary's  Station  (near  Shakertown) ; 
all  of  which  were  in  Mr.  Rice's  parish;  Bryant's  Station  (near  Lexincrton)  ; 
Whitley's  Station,  &c. 

5 


62  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  KENTUCKY. 

A  winter  of  unexampled  severity  followed,  snow  and  ice 
continuing  on  the  ground  without  a  thaw  from  November  to 
February.  Many  of  the  cattle  perished,  and  numbers  of  wild 
animals  were  frozen  to  death.  Sometimes  the  famished  wild 
animals  would  come  into  the  yards  of  the  stations,  along  with 
the  tame  cattle.  Such  was  the  scarcity  of  food,  that  a  single 
johnny-cake  was  divided  into  a  dozen  parts,  and  distributed 
among  the  inmates,  to  serve  for  two  meals.  Even  this  resource 
failed,  and  for  weeks  they  had  nothing  to  subsist  on  but  wild 
game.  Early  in  the  Spring,  some  of  the  men  went  to  the  Falls, 
now  Louisville,  where  they  gave  sixty  dollars  (continental 
money)  for  a  bushel  of  corn  ;  an  enormous  price,  even  making 
allowance  for  its  depreciated  value,  but  the  alternative  w^as 
starvation. 

A  delightful  spring,  and  the  rapid  growth  of  vegetation, 
repaid  them  for  their  hardships.  Their  peach  trees  and  apple 
trees  were  in  a  thriving  condition,  and  plenty  and  happiness 
smiled  upon  the  settlement ;  when,  by  one  of  those  unexpected 
reverses,  which  seem  designed  by  Providence  to  admonish  us 
of  what  we  are  too  apt  to  forget — the  uncertain  tenure  of  earthly 
prosperity — their  flattering  prospects  were  damped,  and  every 
heart  filled  with  gloom.  Joseph  McCoun,  a  promising  lad, 
the  youngest  and  darling  son  of  his  father,  and  the  favorite  of 
the  whole  family,  w^as  surprised  and  captured  by  a  party  of 
Shawnee  Indians,  and  burned  at  the  stake,  on  the  other  side  of 
the  Ohio,  with  excruciating  tortures.  This  event  took  place  in 
1781  ;  and,  as  the  Indians  were  now  prowling  in  every  direc- 
tion, the  families,  seven  in  number,  abandoned  their  farms,  and 
took  refuge  in  the  station.  Safety  was  not  restored  till  after 
the  successful  expedition  of  General  George  Rogers  Clarke, 
in  which  the  men  of  the  Salt  river  settlement  participated. 
During  the  period  of  alarm,  on  the  9th  of  May,  1781,  a  band 
of  one  hundred  and  fifty  Shawnees,  made  a  desperate  assault 
on  McAfee's  Station,  at  their  favorite  time,  when  slumbers  are 
deepest, — an  hour  before  sunrise.  A  w^ell-directed  fire  from 
the  beleaguered  garrison,  consisting  of  only  thirteen  men,  kept 
them  at  bay,  the  women  and  children  running  bullets  and  sup- 
plying them  with  ammunition.  Bafiled  in  their  attempt,  the 
savages  decamped,  destroying  all  the  cattle  and  hogs  within 
their  reach.     They  were  pursued  by  a  reinforcement  of  forty 


PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  KENTUCKY.  gg 

men,  summoned  by  express  from  McGary's  Station,  and  com- 
pletely routed.* 

The  insecurity  of  the  settlers  was  great,  and  the  hazards  to 
which  they  were  exposed  were  appalling.  There  was  no  com- 
munication between  the  stations  but  by  armed  companies.  The 
inhabitants  did  not  dare  to  spend  the  night  out  of  the  forts,  and, 
during  the  day,  cultivated  their  corn  with  the  hoe  in  one  hand 
and  a  gun  in  the  other.  But  the  incursions  of  th5  savages 
gradually  diminished  from  this  period,  as  the  country  became 
more  thickly  settled.  The  McAfee  Station  became  one  of  the 
prominent  centres,  grist-mills  were  erected,!  improvements 
of  all  kinds  projected,  and  uninterrupted  prosperity  finally 
crowned  the  enterprising  pioneers. 

Although  these  early  settlers  were  imbued  with  a  sense  of 
religious  obligation,  and  appear  to  have  quitted  their  homes 
with  a  pious  trust  in  Providence,  and  although,  probably,  they 
formed  many  good  resolutions,  yet  the  new  circumstances  in 
which  they  were  placed  had  a  very  unfavorable  effect  on  their 
character.  Their  time  was  completely  taken  up  with  the  inces- 
sant industry  demanded  by  their  necessities  ;  while  they  con- 
tracted roving  and  unsettled  habits  from  their  frequent  hunting 
expeditions,  and  a  fondness  for  strong  excitement  from  their 
skirmishes  with  the  Indians.  In  the  intervals  of  labor,  and  not- 
withstanding the  constant  possibility  of  danger,  (or  rather, 
perhaps,  as  the  history  of  the  human  mind  evinces,  in  conse- 
quence of  it),  the  people  spent  their  time  merrily,  and  dancing, 
and  other  festal  amusements,  formed  the  recreations  of  young 
and  old.  These  sports  they  enjoyed  with  a  keen  zest,  from  the 
confinement  in  the  fort  to  which  they  were  subjected.  Conver- 
sation turned  naturally  on  the  bold  exploits  and  hair-breadth 
escapes  of  noted  Indian-fighters  ;  and,  from  the  exigencies  of 
the  times,  these  forest  heroes  were  looked  up  to  as  the  persons 
most  worthy  of  estimation.  It  is  not  wonderful,  therefore,  that 
religion  should  have  a  small  share  in  their  thoughts  and  inter- 
course.    The  absence  of  ministers  and  of  Sabbath  services,  and 


*  For  a  full  account  of  this  attack,  see  McClung's  Sketches,  p.  154. 

f  Hitherto  hand-mills  had  been  in  use,  of  a  tnily  primitive  and  almost  oriental 
character,  consisting  of  a  pair  of  limestone  slabs,  about  two  feet  in  diameter, 
which  were  placed  in  a  hollow  sycamore,  or  gum  tree  ;  and  every  morning 
each  family  ground  as  much  as  would  last  them  for  the  day. 


g4  PRESBYTERTANISM  IN  KENTUCKY. 

being  removed  from  the  inspection  and  discipline  of  the  Church, 
tended  to  foster  habits  of  carelessness  and  irreligion.  While 
catechetical  instruction  was  kept  up,  the  other  forms  and  duties 
of  religion  were  generally  neglected. 

At  an  early  period,  moreover,  an  avaricious  turn  was  fostered 
by  the  temptation  to  speculate  in  the  unbounded  field  that  lay 
invitingly  open.  The  people  displayed  an  avidity  to  accumulate 
landed  property,  and  locate  extensive  farms  of  the  best  and 
choicest  quality,  resembling  that  which  drew  down  the  fervent 
rebuke  of  the  prophet,  when  he  denounced  a  "  woe  unto  them 
that  add  house  to  house,  and  field  to  field,  till  there  be  no  place 
for  them  in  the  earth  !" 

Providential  escapes,  occasional  deaths,  and  the  dangers  that 
continually  threatened  them  from  their  savage  foes,  particularly 
the  misfortune  that  befell  young  Joseph  McCoun,  and  the  dis- 
astrous defeat  of  the  Blue  Licks,  in  August,  1782,  which  filled 
all  Northern  Kentucky  with  mourning,  often  made  a  salutary 
impression  on  the  mind,  and  induced  serious  reflections  on  their 
duty  towards  their  Creator  ;  but  these  impressions  were  tran- 
sient and  soon  effaced.  ^ 
— ^  The  year  1783  opened  with  a  prospect  of  peace  with  Great 
Britain,  and  of  comparative  quiet  from  the  savages  ;  while  the 
abundance  of  the  products  of  the  soil  promised  to  reward  the 
labors  of  the  husbandman.  New  settlers  poured  in  by  thousands, 
and  the  forest  and  the  cane-brake  rapidly  disappeared  boneath 
the  axe  and  the  plough.  Among  those  who  were  attracted  to 
this  Land  of  Promise,  flowing,  as  was  represented,  with  milk 
and  honey,  was  the  Rev.  David  Rice,  at  that  time  pastor  of  a 
congregation  at  the  Peaks  of  Otter.  He  came,  not  with  the 
intention  of  becomiag  a  resident,  but  solely  with  a  view  to  make 
some  provision  for  his  numerous  and  dependent  family  ;  but, 
being  disgusted  with  the  shameless  spirit  of  speculation  which 
was  then  rife,  he  returned  without  purchasing  an  acre,*     In 

*  Bishop's  Memoir  of  Rice,  p.  6G.  Dr.  Spalding;  in  his  Sketches  of  the 
early  Catholic  Missions  in  Kentucky,  p.  83,  misrepresents  this  passage  in  Mr. 
Rice's  history,  in  order  to  indulge  a  sneer  at  "  married  preachers."  "  It  seems,"' 
says  he,  "  that  he  had  a  large  family  to  provide  for,  and  liis  removal  to  Kontucky 
was  prompted  more  by  the  desire  of  securing  the  good  things  of  this  world,  than 
by  that  of  spreading  the  Gospel.  .  .  .  So  much  for  married  preachers."  This 
is  said  in  the  face  of  the  quotation  from  Bishop,  on  which  he  relies,  which 
states,  on  the  same  page,  that  Mr.  Rice  did  not  visit  Kentucky  "  witli  t!ie  view 
of  moving  there  soon,  if  ever."  "  We  mean  to  be  impartial  "  says  the  Vicar- 
Greneral ! 


PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  KENTUCKY.  55 

vain  were  the  broad,  rich  lands  of  Kentucky  spread  in  unrivalled 
beauty  before  him,  in  vain  did  the  cheapness  of  the  price  temp* 
him  ;  he  valued  his  peace  of  mind  too  much  to  suspend  it  on 
the  doubtful  risks  of  inevitable  litigation. 

During  his  stay,  Mr.  Rice  preached  as  opportunity  oflered,*  -^ 
and  his  appearance  was  hailed  with  joy  by  the  Presbyterian  set- 
tlers, some  of  whom  had  known  him  personally,  and  all  by  repu- 
tation. They  had  learned  by  their  long  destitution  and  silent 
Sabbaths  to  appreciate  the  value  of  the  stated  ministry ;  and, 
like  David  in  his  exile,  memory  lingered  with  fond  regret  upon 
the  lost  pleasures  of  the  sanctuary,  and  the  voice  of  joy  and  praise. 
Mr.  Rice  was  warmly  pressed  to  give  them  the  benefit  of  his  pas- 
toral services ;  but  he  hesitated  to  take  so  important  a  step  on  a 
mere  verbal  invitation.  He  promised,  however,  that  if  a  written 
invitation  were  drawn  up,  signed  by  such  only  as  were  perma- 
nent settlers,  and  really  desirous  of  constituting  themselves  into 
a  church,  he  would  take  it  into  consideration.  In  consequence 
of  this  encouragement,  a  paper  was  conveyed  to  him  towards  the 
close  of  the  summer,  with  three  hundred  signatures  appended, 
stating  the  destitute  condition  of  the  country,  and  entreating  him 
to  remove,  and  plant  a  Presbyterian  Church  among  them.  Mr. 
Rice  laid  this  petition  before  Hanover  Presbytery,  (sitting  that 
year  in  Hall's  Meeting-house,)  and  requested  their  advice.  The 
Presbytery  recommended  his  acceptance  of  the  invitation,  as 
opening  a  wide  and  effectual  door  to  do  good,  in  the  providence 
of  God ;  and  although  he  had  some  suspicions  that  the  signers 
were  not  all  that  they  professed  to  be,  he  concluded  that,  on  the 
whole,  it  was  his  duty  to  go.  He  removed  to  Kentucky  in  Oc- 
tober; but  owing  to  the  impassable  state  of  the  roads,  he  was 
unable  to  travel,  during  the  winter,  beyond  the  neighborhood  of 
Danville,  and  preached  in  private  houses,  as  he  was  invited. 
Harrodsburg,  at  that  time,  contained  few  who  cared  for  religious 
matters.f 

On  the  opening  of  spring,  (1784,)  Mr.  Rice  extended  the  sphere  Z^ 
of  his  labors,  and  gathered  three  large  congregations  near  Har- 


*  His  first  sermon  was  heard  by  Dr.  .Toshua  A.  Wilson,  then  a  child,  at  Har- 
rod's  Station,  and  was  from  the  text,  "  The  people  which  sat  in  darkness  saw 
great  light ;  and  to  them  which  sat  in  the  region  and  shadow  of  death,  light  is 
sprung  up."     Matt.  iv.  16. 

t  Bishop's  Rice,  p.  67  ;  Graham,  Lett.  VTII. ;  McAfee  MS.  p.  19. 


QQ  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  KENTUCKY. 

rod's  Station  as  a  central  point,  Danville,  Cane  Run,  and  the 
Salt  river  settlement.      Houses  of  worship  were  put  up  without 
delay,  and  the  year  following  churches  were  regularly  organized 
^  in  them  all.* 

Father,  Rice,  by  which  appellation  that  venerable  man  is  fitly 
called,  who  so  long  acted  the  part  of  a  father  to  the  infant  churches 
in  Kentucky,  was  born  in  Hanover  county,  Virginia,  December 
20,  1733.  His  father's  family  were  plain  farmers,  originally  of 
Welsh  extraction.  From  an  early  age  he  was  thoughtful  and 
serious,  the  subject  of  deep  religious  impressions,  and  punctilious 
in  the  duties  of  private  and  public  devotion.  He  was  savingly 
converted  under  the  preaching  of  Mr.  Davies,  and  at  the  age  of 
twenty  began  to  study  for  the  ministry,  under  Mr.  Todd  and 
Dr.  Waddel.  His  father  being  in  straitened  circumstances,  he 
procured  the  means  of  his  education  by  raising  a  hogshead 
of  tobacco  with  his  own  hands,  and  afterwards  by  teaching 
an  English  school.  His  health  suffered  under  the  confinement, 
but  he  was  relieved  by  a  rich  relation  offering  him  his  board.  Pre- 
sident Davies  having  had  a  sum  annually  put  at  his  disposal  by 
a  wealthy  Christian  in  London,  to  aid  in  educating  needy  young 
men  in  this  country,  he  chose  Mr.  Rice  as  the  beneficiary;  but 
upon  his  death  the  supply  ceased,  and  Mr.  Rice's  wardrobe  be- 
came so  shabby,  that  he  meditated  leaving  Nassau  Hall ;  when 
Providence  raised  him  up  another  friend,  in  Richard  Stockton, 
Esq.,  to  whom  the  President  had  mentioned  his  circumstances. 
He  called  Mr.  Rice  to  him,  and  said :  "  I  have,  in  a  literal  sense, 
ventured  my  bread  on  the  waters,  having  a  ship  at  sea.  If  it 
founders,  you  must  repay  me  the  sum  I  advance  you  ;  if  it  returns 
safe,  I  will  venture,  in  the  figurative  sense."     Two  years  after 


*  McAfee  MS.  pp.  23-25;  Bishop,  p.  147. 

It  may  not  be  amiss  to  mention  here  an  extraordinary  bhinder  of  Winterbotham. 
Filson,  from  whom  he  quoted,  had  said :  "  The  Anabaptists  were  the  first  that 
promoted  pubhc  worship  in  Kentucky  ;  and  the  Presbyterians  have  formed  three 
large  cono;reo-ations  near  Harrod's  Station,  and  have  engatjed  the  Rev.  David 
Rico,  of  Virginia,  to  be  their  pastor." — Filson,  in  Imlay,  p.  321.  But  Winter- 
botham, by  an  inexcusable  carelessness  in  transcribing,  has  attributed  to  the  Bap- 
tists what  his  author  had  said  of  the  Presbyterians :  "  The  Baptists  were  tlie  first 
that  promoted  public  worship  in  this  State  ;  they  formed  three  congregations  near 
Harrod's  Station,  and  engaged  Mr.  David  Rice,  of  Virginia,  as  their  pastor !" — 
Winterbotham's  Hist.  View  of  the  United  States,  vohiii.  p.  169.  This  error 
deforms  both  the  London  and  American  editions. 


PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  KENTUCKY.  ^ly 

Mr.  Rice  offered  to  repay  him,  but  lie  refused,  affirming  that  he 
had  been  repaid  long  ago.* 

He  studied  theology  with  the  Rev.  John  Todd,  and  was  or- 
dained by  Hanover  Presbytery,  Dec.  1763,f  at  the  age  of  thirty, 
and  soon  became  a  popular  and  successful  preacher.  After 
laboring  in  various  fields,  he  took  charge  of  three  congrega- 
tions in  Bedford  county,  at  the  foot  of  the  Blue  Ridge,  in  1769 ; 
but  at  length,  in  consequence  of  their  great  increase,  restricted 
himself  to  one,  at  the  Peaks  of  Otter.  J 

Of  the  revolutionary  struggle  he  was  not  an  indifferent  specta-  X 
tor,  but  took  a  warm  and  decided  stand  in  favor  of  his  country's 
independence ;  nor  did  he  deem  it  transcending  the  duties  of  his 
profession  to  harangue  the  people  on  their  grievances  at  county 
meetings.  He  took  an  active  part,  also,  in  procuring  the  estab- 
lishment of  Hampden  Sidney  Academy,  in  spite  of  the  opposi- 
tion of  the  Episcopal  clergy  ;  and  afterwards  of  Transylvania 
Seminary.^ 

In  1783,  he  removed  to  Kentucky,  and  there  organized  and 
took  charge  of  the  congregations  of  Concord  at  Danville,  Cane 
Run,  and  the  Forks  of  Dick's  river.H  He  was  chairman  for  seve- 
ral years  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  Transylvania  Seminary, 
and  its  first  teacher,  while  yet  a  Grammar-School.  It  was  opened 
in  his  own  house,  in  Lincoln  county,  in  February,  1785.  When 
the  Seminary,  after  its  removal  to  Lexington,  fell  under  deistical 
influence,  he  took  an  active  part  in  raising  up  a  rival,  in  Ken- 
tucky Academy,  and,  in  company  with  Dr.  Blythe,  visited  the 
cities  of  the  East  to  solicit  donations.TI 

The  estimation  in  which  he  was  held  may  be  inferred,  from 
his  election  as  a  member  of  the  Convention  which  met  at  Dan- 


*  See  a  letter  from  his  son,  Dr.  James  H.  Rice,  Aug.  14,  1824,  in  tlie  West. 
Luminary,  vol.  i.  p.  178. 
f  MS."  Hist,  of  Hanover  Pby.,  p.  6. 

I  Bishop,  pp.  13-64. 
h  Bishop,  pp.  96,  97. 

II  Letter  to  Mod.  of  the  Gen.  Assembly,  1790. 

It  is  worthy  of  note,  that  a  small  district  of  country  upon  Dick's  river  has  fur- 
nished a  number  of  individuals  distinguished  in  the  annals  of  the  State :  Coi. 
Joseph  H.  Daviess,  Chief  Justice  Boyle,  Gov.  Owsley,  T.  T.  Davis,  Thomas  Mont- 

§  ornery,  Samuel  McKee,  Gov.  Letcher,  S.  IL  Anderson,  Judge  Green,  J.  Speed 
mith.  Chief  Justice  Robertson,  W.  J.  Graves,  &c.     For  this  notice  the  author 
is  indebted  to  Col.  C.  S.  Todd,  a  descendant  of  the  Rev.  John  Todd,  and  late 
Minister  to  the  Court  of  Russia. 
IF  Bishop,  p.  97. 


68 


PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  KENTUCKY. 


V 


ville,  in  1792,  to  frame  a  State  Constitution.  He  strenuously 
exerted  himself,  though  without  success,  against  the  commanding 
talents  and  overwhelming  influence  of  John  Breckinridge  and 
Col.  Nicholas,  for  the  insertion  of  an  article  providing  for  gradual 
emancipation,  before  the  settlement  of  the  question  should  be 
hampered  by  insuperable  embarrassments.  He  also  published 
his  sentiments  in  a  pamphlet,  signed  "  Philanthropos,"  and  enti- 
tled, "  Slavery  inconsistent  with  justice  and  policy." 

Although  Father  Rice  devoted  some  share  of  his  attention  to 
literature  and  politics,  he  did  not  neglect  his  parochial  duties. 
One  of  his  methods  of  doing  good  w^as  the  addressing  of  a  circu- 
lar epistle  to  his  ministerial  brethren,  holding  up  the  example  of 
Paul  for  their  imitation.  The  happy  result  was  a  refreshing 
revival,  both  in  his  own  and  other  congregations,  which  lasted 
for  several  months.  He  was  very  faithful,  also,  in  maintaining 
regular  catechetical  instruction.  After  preaching  fifteen  years, 
during  which,  notwithstanding  many  drawbacks  naturally  inci- 
dent to  a  new  settlement,  he  witnessed  a  general  improvement 
in  religious  knowledge,  and  an  increased  attention  to  the  ordi- 
nances of  God's  house,  he  resigned  his  charges,  and  removed  to 
Green  county,  in  1798.  He  was  now  sixty-five  years  of  age,  and 
troubled  with  an  affection  of  the  head,  which  incapacitated  him 
for  close  attention  to  any  subject,  and  subjected  him  to  a  habitual 
melancholy.*  There  is  no  doubt  that  pecuniary  difficulties  op- 
pressed him,  and  either  produced  this  melancholy,  or  co-operated 
wdth  it.  He  had  purchased  land  on  the  faith  of  his  congregation 
guaranteeing  the  payment ;  but  this  was  deferred,  until  the  sons 
had  forgotten  the  promises  of  their  fathers,  and  the  sheriff  held 
up  before  his  eyes  the  terror  of  imprisonment.  While  in  this  mor- 
bid state  he  refused,  on  a  certain  communion  occasion,  to  admin- 
ister the  sacrament  at  Danville,  on  the  ground  that  it  was  not 
right  to  admit  to  the  holy  table  persons  who  were  unfaithful  to 
their  engagements.  As  may  naturally  be  supposed,  a  great  sen- 
sation was  the  consequence  ;  dissatisfaction  vented  itself  in  loud 
murmurs  ;  he  became  the  song  of  the  drunkard ;  and  pasquinades 
were  affixed  to  the  church  door,  whose  doggerel  rhymes  are 
remembered  by  many  to  this  day.f 


*  Bishop,  p.  77. 

f  These  rhymes  were  composed  by  Tom  Johnson,  a  drunken  poet,  who  amused 
himself  and  his  tipsy  companions,  in  the  taverns  of  Danville,  by  letting  off  his 


PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  KENTUCKY.  ■    69 

The  precedinc:  statement  probably  furnishes  the  true  explana- 
tion of  Father  Rice's  leaving  Danville.  To  a  sensitive  and 
generous  nature,  no  trial  can  be  more  poignant  than  to  be  repaid 
with  ingratitude,  or  exposed  to  ridicule.  Although  Mr.  Rice 
was  faithful  and  assiduous  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties,  he  was 
often  in  great  straits,  like  many  others  of  his  brethren,  for  want  of 
an  adequate  support ;  and  his  family  would  have  been  reduced  to 
a  crust  of  bread,  had  it  not  been  for  the  seasonable  friendship  of 
Mr.  Jacob  Fishback.*     There  were  not  wanting  narrow-minded 

spleen  in  doggerel  satires,  generally  of  the  octosyllabic  measure.  His  effusions 
were  very  popular  in  their  day,  (perhaps  owing  to  the  scarcity  of  poetic  staple  ;) 
and  the  author  lias  heard  both  the  Lines  on  Mr.  Rice,  and  the  Extempore  Grace 
at  Gill's  Tavern,  repeated  from  memory  by  more  than  one  person.  Johnson  pub- 
lished an  edition  of  liis  poems,  in  thirty-six  pages,  24mo.,  under  the  title  of  "  The 
Kentucky  IMiscellany."  The  copy  seen  by  tlie  author,  in  the  Rev.  Mr.  Seely's 
collection,  bore  the  imprint  of  the  fourth  edition,  in  1821.  Some  of  the  pieces 
are  spriglitly  and  humorous,  but  tlio  ribald  and  blasphemous  character  of  others, 
proves  that  poor  Jolmson  "  drank  full  ofter  of  the  tun  than  of  the  well ;"  as  in- 
deed he  coniesses,  for  hypocrisy  was  not  one  of  his  sins.  The  pasquinade  is  as 
follows.     (Misc.  p.  20.) 

"  ON    PARSON   R E, 

WHO    REFUSED    TO    PERFORM    DIVINE   SERVICE   TILL    HIS    ARREARS    WERE  PAID. 

"  Ye  fools !  I  told  you  once  or  twice. 

You'd  heiU"  no  more  from  cantinsj  li e  ; 

He  cannot  settle  his  affairs,  S 

Nor  pay  attention  unto  pray'rs,    > 
Unless  you  pay  up  your  arrears,  j 
O  how  he  would  in  pulpit  stomi, 
And  fill  all  hell  with  dire  alarm  ! 
Vengeance  pronounce  against  each  vice, 
And,  more  than  all,  curs'd  avarice  ; 
Preach'd  money  was  the  root  of  ill, 
Consign'd  each  rich  man  unto  hell  ; 
But  since  he  finds  you  will  not  pay, 
Both  rich  and  jioor  may  go  that  way. 
'Tis  no  more  than  1  expected — 
The  meeting-house  is  now  neglected: 
All  trades  are  subject  to  this  chance. 
No  longer  pipe,  no  longer  dance." 

*This  fact  is  related  on  the  authority  of  James  Stonestreet,  Esq.,  his  son-in- 
law.  Mr.  Jacob  Fishback  was  born  in  Culpepper  county,  Virginia,  April  14th, 
1749.  At  the  age  of  18,  he  heard  Dr.  Waddel  in  a  private  house,  and  was  so 
impressed  by  his  remarkable  appearance  and  earnestness,  that  he  went  home  a 
broken-hearted  penitent.  After  a  season  of  deep  religious  exercises,  he  obtain- 
ed a  hope,  and  soon  assembled  the  neighbors,  and  read,  and  prayed,  and  sang 
with  them.  He  was  not,  during  this  period,  a  communicant,  for  there  were  no 
dissenting  |)laces  of  worship  near,  and  he  was  reluctant  to  join  the  Established 
Church,  as  all  the  clergy  wore  drinking  men.  This  account  differs  from  that  of 
Dr.  Bishop,  but  may  be  relied  on  as  being  derived  from  his  family.  In  1783,  he 
removed  to  Kentucky,  first  to  the  Forks  of  Dick's  river,  and  afterward  to  a  farm 
in  Clarke  county.  He  became  one  of  Mr.  Rice's  most  efficient  supporters,  and 
a  shining  Christian.  After  his  death,  a  "  Solemn  Declaration"  or  covenant  was 
found  among  his  papers,  repeatedly  re-signed.  He  died  Sept.  15,  1821,  in  the 
73d  year  of  his  age.  He  left  eleven  children,  six  sons  and  five  daughters,  whose 
descendants  at  that  time,  numbered  fifty-eight. — Bishop,  pp.  221,  230. 


70  PR-ESBYTERIANISM  IN  KENTUCKY. 

persons,  who  expected  a  minister,  when  placed  on  a  small  tract 
of  land,  to  maintain  himself  by  the  labor  of  his  own  hands,  and 
who  considered  themselves  absolved  from  all  further  obligation  to 
contribute  to  his  support.  They  never  reflected  on  the  thousand 
calls,  absences  and  interruptions  to  which  a  pastor  is  subject- 
ed, to  say  nothing  of  the  necessity  of  time  for  study  and  pulpit 
preparation.  When  the  clergy  were  thus  compelled  to  forsake 
the  study  for  the  field,  and  the  Lord's  vineyard  for  their  own 
farm,  the  unavoidable  consequence  was,  in  Mr.  Rice's  nervous 
language,  that  "the  people  starved  the  ministers,  and  the  minis- 
ters starved  the  people."* 

Mr.  Rice  resigned  his  congregations  and  removed  to  Green 
county,  about  1797,  after  which  he  withdrew  almost  entirely 
from  active  life  and  attendance  on  church  courts,  and  employed 
himself  chiefly  in  preaching  to  vacant  congregations,  and  assist- 
ing his  brethren.  It  was  at  his  suggestion  that  catechists  and 
exhorters  were  introduced  in  the  Green  river  revival,  to  supply 
the  great  deficiency  of  a  regular  minister ;  the  abuse  of  which, 
afterwards,  none  deplored  more  feelingly  than  himself.  Upon 
this  subject  he  had  a  correspondence  with  the  General  Assembly.^ 
In  1803  at  the  Walnut  Hill  Sacrament,  he  made  a  strenuous 
endeavor  to  regulate  camp-meetings,  and  prevent  scandals.  In 
1805,  and  1806,  he  performed  an  extensive  missionary  tour 
through  Kentucky  and  Ohio,  by  the  appointment  of  the  General 
Assembly,  to  ascertain  the  religious  condition  of  the  country,  and 
to  reclaim  schismatics.  The  fruit  of  his  tour  was  an  Epistle  to 
the  Presbyterians  of  Kentucky,  published  in  the  same  year,  and 
a  second  Epistle  in  1808,  in  which  he  gave  a  plain  and  faithful 
warning  against  the  dangerous  errors  of  the  times,  and  held  up 
evangelical  truth  forcibly  to  view.  For  tl^  last  three  years  of 
his  life,  he  was  prevented  from  preaching  and  writing,  by  the 
gradual  decay  of  nature,  but  the  exercises  of  his  mind  were  of 
the  most  heavenly  and  edifying  character.  His  last  words  were, 
"  Oh,  when  shall  I  be  free  from  sin  and  sorrow !"  and  shortly 
after,  he  fell  asleep  in  Jesus,  June  18th,  1816,  in  the  83d  year  of 
his  age. 

*  Bishop,  p.  110. 

f  "  A  number  liave  been  exercising  their  gifts  as  exhorters,  who  had  scarce  a 
talent  for  anything  but  addressing  the  passions  of  men." — Second  Epistle,  1808. 
Bishop,  p.  353.     See  also,  Assembly's  Digest,  1804,  p.  148. 


PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  KENTUCKY.  71 

Father  Rice's  talents  were  of  a  plain,  practical  cast ;  not  of  a 
commanding  order,  but  very  respectable.  His  distinguishing 
characteristic  was  judgment,  and  his  disposition  conservative. 
He  was  exemplary  in  his  deportment,  and  spent  much  time  in 
prayer.  As  a  preacher,  his  natural  manner  was  solemn  and 
impressive,  but  sometimes  marred  by  the  apparent  affectation  of 
sympathy.  In  society  he  was  dignified  and  grave.  His  person 
was  slender,  but  tall  and  active,  and  even  at  the  age  of  seventy, 
he  exhibited  an  astonishing  degree  of  alertness.  He  married 
Mary,  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Samuel  Blair,  by  whom  he  had 
eleven  children,  nine  of  whom  became  heads  of  families,  and  all 
made  a  reputable  profession  of  religion.  One  of  the  number  was 
converted  by  means  of  a  Bible  which  his  mother  placed  among 
his  clothing  when  leaving  the  paternal  roof.* 

His  published  writings  were  of  the  fugitive  kind,  prepared  as 
occasion  demanded  them.  They  are  as  follows : — 1.  A  Circular 
Letter  to  his  ministerial  brethren  on  the  Example  of  Paul,  date 
uncertain.  2.  An  Essay  on  Baptism,  1789.  3.  A  Lecture  on 
the  Divine  Decrees,  1791.  4.  Slavery  inconsistent  with  Justice 
and  Policy,  1792.  5.  A  Sermon  at  the  opening  of  Synod. 
6.  An  Epistle  to  the  Citizens  of  Kentucky  professing  Christian- 
ity, especially  those  that  are,  or  have  been,  denominated  Pres- 
byterians, 1805.  7.  A  second  Epistle  of  the  same  nature,  1808. 
8.  Letters  on  the  Evidences,  Nature,  and  Effects  of  Christianity, 
pubhshed  in  the  Weekly  Recorder,  at  the  age  of  81,  ISM.f 

Previous  to  Mr.  Rice's  arrival,  marriages  had  been  solemnized 
by 'the  magistrates,  but  after  that  event,  the  people  made  it  a 
point  to  procure  the  services  of  a  clergyman.  On  the  3d  of 
June,  1784,  he  married  a  couple  at  M'Afee's  Station,  and  on  the 
4th  preached  the  funeral  sermon  of  Mrs.  James  M'Coun,  sen., 
the  first  sermon  ever  preached  on  the  banks  of  Salt  river.  The 
attention  of  the  people  was  greatly  arrested  by  this  mournful 
occurrence.  After  this,  Mr.'Rice  returned  to  the  fort,  and  spent 
Saturday,  according  to  his  wont,  in  catechizing  such  as  felt  an 
interest  in  religious  matters.  On  Sunday,  tl^  6th,  he  preached 
in  a  large  double-hewed  log-house  at  the  Station.  He  continued 
to  visit  them  and  preach  occasionally.  In  the  fall,  the  settlement 
received  a  valuable  accession  in  Captain  John  Armstrong  and 

*  Biehop,  pp.  67,  60.    f  Bishop,  pp.  76,113. 


72  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  KENTUCKY. 

John  Buchanan,  who  were  favorably  inclined  to  religion,  and 
William  Armstrong,  who  had  been  one  of  Mr.  Rice's  elders  in 
Virginia.  In  the  spring  of  1785,  James,  George,  Samuel,  and 
Robert  M'Afee,  John  and  William  Armstrong,  James  M'Coun, 
sen.,  and  James  M'Coun,  jun.,  Joseph  Lyon,  John  Buchanan,  and 
John  M'Gee,  met  together  and  agreed  to  erect  a  house  for  the 
double  purpose  of  a  school  and  a  place  of  worship,  On  two 
.  acres  of  land,  offered  by  James  M'Afee.  It  was  a  log  cabin, 
twenty  feet  by  eighteen.  In  the  course  of  the  year,  a  church 
was  organized,  and  called  by  the  appropriate  name  of  New 
Providence,  in  commemoration  of  the  many  signal  favors  and 
deliverances  which  they  had  received  from  the  hand  of  the 
Almighty.  The  first  elders  elected,  were  George  Buchanan, 
and  James  M'Coun,  sen.,  to  whom  was  added  William  Arm- 
strong, in  1789.  Mr.  Rice  preached  here  monthly,  and  cate- 
chized at  private  houses.  He  was  assiduous  in  the  discharge  of 
his  duties,  but  except  regular  attendance  and  decorous  behavior 
on  the  part  of  the  people,  little  direct  fruit  was  visible  from  his 
labors.  The  departure  of  many  volunteers  to  join  Gen.  Clark's 
expedition  on  the  Wabash,  and  the  exciting  political  question  of 
severance  from  Virginia,  to  be  formed  into  an  independent  State, 
distracted  public  attention  from  the  concerns  of  the  soul.* 

For  several  years  after  the  foundation  of  the  Church,  the  men 
were  obliged  to  carry  their  guns  to  meeting,  as  the  Indians  were 
in  the  habit  of  prowling  about,  to  steal  horses  and  kill  stragglers. f 
This  was  not  an  imaginary  danger.  On  the  23d  of  May,  1790, 
some  people  were  fired  on  by  Indians,  as  they  were  returning 
from  sermon  on  Brashear's  Creek.  A  man  was  killed,  and  a 
woman  carried  off,  and  on  being  pursued,  tomahawked.  Judge 
Innes,  writing  to  Secretary  Knox,  July  7th,  1790,  stated  that 
within  seven  years,  fifteen  hundred  souls  had  been  killed  or 
taken  prisoners,  twenty  thousand  horses  carried  ofi',  and  other 
property  plundered  to  the  value  of  fifteen  thousand  pounds.  J 

The  congregation  of  New  Providence  increased  so  rapidly, 
that  in  1790  a  new  tiouse,  of  double  the  size,  was  rendered  neces- 
sary, also  built  of  logs  ;  and  in  1803,  this  was  still  further  enlarged. 
It  was  afterwards  superseded  by  a  substantial  and  commodious 


*M'Afee  MS.  Hist.  pp.  21,  23,  25.     Bishop,  pp.  146,  147. 
t  M-Afee  MS.  Hist  p.  23.        %  Butler,  p.  195. 


PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  KENTUCKY.  ffff 

brick  edifice,  sixty  feet  by  forty-five.  Mr.  Rice  continued  to 
preach  here  till  1796,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  the  Rev.  Wil- 
liam Mahon,  from  Virginia,  who,  proving  unacceptable,  only 
remained  two  years.  In  1801,  the  Rev.  Samuel  B.  Robertson 
was  ordained  pastor  of  the  United  Churches  of  New  Providence 
and  Cane  Run.  He  resigned  in  1811,  and  was  succeeded  in 
1813  by  the  Rev.  Thomas  Cleland,  D.D.,*  whose  ministry  has 
been  eminently  successful. 

While  Mr.  Rice  was  diligently  engaged  in  gathering  the  rudi- 
ments of  churches  around  Harrod's  station,  the  Rev.  Adam 
Raxkin,  from  Augusta  county,  in  Virginia,  having  received  a 
call  from  the  Presbyterians  of  Lexington,  was  organizing  a 
church  in  that  thriving  town,  under  the  name  of  Mount  Zion. 
He  arrived  on  the  1st  of  October,  1784,  and  immediately  found 
himself  surrounded  by  a  large  congregation.  It  is  related  that 
on  sacramental  occasions,  when  the  number  was  swelled  by 
persons  from  contiguous  parts  of  the  country,  not  less  than  five 
hundred  communicants  attended.  In  conjunction  with  Mount 
Zion,  Mr.  Rankin  took  charge  of  the  congregation  of  Pisgah, 
about  eight  miles  south-west  of  Lexington.f  This  year  also  the 
Churches  of  Paint  Lick  in  Garrard  county,  and  Salem  in  Clarke 
county,  were  formed. 

In  consequence  of  the  multiplication  of  congregations,  and  in 
order  to  have  a  bond  of  union  for  their  better  regulation  and 
eflficiency,  a  General  Meeting  for  Conference  was  held  at  Cane 
Run,  March  30th,  1785. J  At  this  Conference  there  were  three 
mmisters  present ;  Mr.  Rice,  Mr.  Rankin,  and  Mr,  James  Mitchell, 
of  Virginia,  whose  name  does  not  appear  again,§  together 
with  Mr.  Terah  Templin,  a  probationer.  There  were  10  repre- 
sentatives present  from  five  congregations  :  Caleb  Wallace||  and 
William  M'Cune,  from  Cane  Run  ;  Thomas  Maxwell  and  Saml. 
Woods,  from  Paint  Lick  ;  James  M'Coun  and  George  Buchanan, 

•Bishop,  pp.  148,149. 

f  Rankin's  Antobiofrraphy.     Filson,  inlmlay,  p.  321.     Bishop,  p.  140. 

t  McAfee  MS.  p.  27. 

§  He  was  ordained  I)y  Ilancvcr  Presbytery,  August  3(1,  1784.  After  the  Con- 
ference Ic  rcti  mod  to  Virtrinia,  and  succeeded  Mr.  Rice  at  the  Peaks  of  Otter. 
—MS.  Hist,  cf  Hanover  I'by.  pp.  13,  14. 

II  Caleb  Wallack  was  born  in  Charlotte  county,  Va.,  and  graduated  at  Prince- 
ton, in  1770.  He  was  ordained  to  the  ministry,  and  preached  for  some  years. 
He  removed  to  Kentucky,  and  devoted  himself  to  tlic  law,  and  became  a  Judge 
of  tlie  Supreme  Court. 


74  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  KENTUCKY. 

from  New  Providence  ;  James  Beard  and  James  Allen,  from 
Salem  ;  Richard  Steele  and  John  Brooker,  from  Mount  Zion. 

The  Conference  was  organized  by  calling  Mr.  Rice  to  the 
chair,  and  appointing  Caleb  Wallace,  Clerk.  After  prayer,  they 
proceeded  to  business. 

The  very  first  subject  to  which  their  attention  was  turned, 
was  the  necessity  of  being  formed  into  a  separate  Presbytery, 
on  account  of  the  inconveniences  of  their  present  relation  ;  and 
Messrs.  Rice,  Rankin,  and  Mitchell,  or  any  two  of  them,  were 
chosen  a  committee  to  solicit  of  the  Presbytery  of  Hanover  the 
ordination  of  Messrs.  Crawford  and  Templin,  and  to  engage 
their  concurrence  in  obtaining  of  the  Synod  of  New  York  and 
Philadelphia  the  separation  desired. 

Another  measure  they  agreed  on,  was  to  appoint  the  same 
ministers  a  standing  committee,  without  whose  certificate  of 
good  character  and  credentials  no  strange  travelling  ministers 
were  to  be  received  or  encouraged,  that  all  imposition  might  be 
prevented. 

They  recommended  the  election  of  three  elders  in  every  con- 
gregation, describing  the  qualifications  requisite,  the  mode  of 
election,  and  the  mode  of  ordination. 

The  propriety  of  elders  conducting  religious  services  in  the 
absence  of  a  minister,  came  under  discussion,  but  was  referred 
for  further  consideration. 

To  prevent  unworthy  applicants  from  being  hastily  admitted 
to  church  privileges,  all  that  were  desirous  of  admission,  whether 
on  an  original  profession  of  faith,  or  by  certificate  of  member- 
ship elsewhere,  were  required  to  signify  their  intention  a  suffi- 
cient time  previous,  that  the  minister  might  have  opportunity  of 
satisfying  himself  as  to  their  piety  and  knowledge. 

It  was  agreed,  that  the  people  should  be  exhorted  to  avail 
themselves  of  the  opportunities  of  ministerial  instruction  now 
placed  within  their  reach ;  and  that  they  should  bi'ing  the 
younger  branches  of  their  families  under  the  influence  of  reli- 
gion, by  means  both  of  the  public  services  of  the  sanctuary,  and 
of  strict  care  in  private. 

The  people  were  to  be  exhorted,  likewise,  to  afford  their  min- 
isters such  a  certain  and  adequate  support,  that  they  might  be 
able  to  devote  their  whole  time  to  study  and  parochial  visitation. 

The  people  were  further  enjoined  to  cultivate  a  catholic  spirit 


TRESBYTERIANISM  IN  KENTUCKY. 


75 


towards  other  denominations  ;  and  by  a  meek  and  Christian  de- 
portment to  impress  ail  that  had  intercourse  with  them  witii  a 
sense  of  the  reality  and  importance  of  religion. 

The  Conference  being  desirous  to  consider  more  fully  several 
matters  of  consequence,  resolved  to  adjourn  to  meet  again  in 
the  same  place  on  the  second  Tuesday  of  July,  following  ;  and 
Mr.  Rice  was  requested  to  open  the  meeting  with  a  sermon 
suited  to  the  occasion.  Ministers  and  probationers,  within  the 
district,  were  particularly  desired  to  attend  ;  and  the  several 
congregations,  and  neighborhoods  desirous  of  being  formed  into 
congregations,  were  directed  to  send  each  of  them  two  dele- 
gates to  represent  them  in  the  proposed  Conference.  The  Con- 
ference was  now  closed  with  prayer,  and  adjourncfd,  after  havino- 
been  in  session  three  days. 

The  Conference  met  again,  according  to  adjournment,  at 
Cane  Run  Meeting-House,  on  Tuesday,  July  12th,  1785.  Mr. 
Rice  opened  the  Conference  with  a  discourse  from  Isaiah  Ixii.  1: 
"  For  Zion's  sake  will  I  not  hold  my  peace,  and  for  Jerusalem's 
sake  I  will  not  rest,  until  the  righteousness  thereof  go  forth  as 
brightness,  and  the  salvation    thereof  as  a  lamp  that  burneth." 

The  ministers  present  were  Messrs.  Rice  and  Rankin ; 
together  with  Messrs.  James  Crawford  and  Terah  Templin, 
probationers.  There  were  in  attendance  twenty-three  repre- 
sentatives from  twelve  congregations,  each  congregation  or 
neighborhood,  save  one,  being  fully  represented  by  two  dele- 
gates, as  before  recommended — as  follows : 

William  Maxwell,  )  r         t  •      ri      i 

T rp  (    •     •     •     ii'om  Jessamme  Creek. 

John    Iodd,  ) 

Hknry  McDonald, 

Thomas  Cavin, 

John  McConnell, 

David  Logan, 

William  Scott, 

William  Evans, 


Thomas  Maxwell, 

Jacob  Fishback, 
Andrew  Elders, 
Robert  Caldwell, 
SamuelMoDovvell, 
John  Tamplin, 
Caleb  Wallace, 


Walnut  Hill. 
Mount  Zion. 
Mount  Pisgah. 
Paint  Lick. 

Forks  of  Dick's  river. 
Concord,  (Danville.) 
Cane  Run. 


i 


76  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  KENTUCKY. 

James  McCoun,  )  r         at       -n       -j 

f^  r>  [    .     .     .     irom  JNew  rrovidence. 

(jrEORGE    BuCHANAN,      ) 

George  PoMEROY,       j    .     .     .         .     Hopewell. 
John    V  eecii,  )  '■ 

James  Beard,  ...         "     Salem. 

James  Allen,  ) 

James  Davies,  >  I     "     Whitley's   Station  and 

John  Snoddy,  )         *        (  Crab  Orchard. 

Mr.  Rice  was  called  to  preside,  and  Caleb  Wallace  was 
chosen  clerk.  The  sessions,  as  before,  were  always  begun  and 
closed  with  prayer. 

The  items  of  business  on  which  consultation  was  had,  were 
the  following  : 

The  Conference  recommended,  that  in  the  absence  of  Minis- 
ters, the  elders  should  assemble  the  congregations,  and  conduct 
religious  services,  viz :  prayer,  singing,  reading  the  Scrip- 
tures, and  reading  judicious  selections  from  approved  doctrinal 
and  practical  treatises. 

The  elders,  in  vacant  congregations,  were  also  advised  to 
catechise  the  children  and  young  people,  and  encourage  an 
acquaintance  with  the  Larger  and  Shorter  Catechisms,  together 
with  such  helps  and  explanations  as  could  be  obtained. 

In  addition  to  the  recommendations  of  the  former  Conference, 
the  congregations  were  advised  to  provide  convenient  houses  of 
worship  as  soon  as  circumstances  would  permit. 

It  was  enjoined  that  the  several  parts  of  divine  service  be 
performed  with  the  greatest  decency  and  solemnity  ;  that  good 
clerks  or  precentors  be  employed  in  every  congregation ;  and 
that  grave  and  agreeable  tunes  be  used  in  singing  the  praise  of 
God.  And  further,  frequent  and  earnest  prayers  were  to  be 
offered  for  the  Divine  blessing  on  the  public  ordinances. 

In  view  of  the  dangers  to  which  the  country  was  still  ex- 
posed from  a  savage  enemy  ;  of  the  general  declension  of  virtue, 
and  of  the  prevalence  of  vice  ;  a  'Day  of  Fasting,  Humiliation 
and  Prayer,  was  recommended  to  be  observed  on  the  first 
Wednesday  of  the  ensuing  August,  or  on  some  other  day  prior 
to  the  last  day  of  September. 

In  view  of  the  scarcity  of  books  in  the  District,  and  of  the 
difficulty  of  ministers  procuring  suitable  libraries,  which  might 
retard  their  progress  in  knowledge,  and  the  success  of  their  min- 


PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  KENTUCKY.  77 

istrations,  it  was  recommended  that  measures  be  taken  to 
remedy  the  defect.  Collections  were  to  be  made  in  each  con- 
gregation, and  the  money  appropriated  to  the  purchase  of  books, 
to  be  loaned  to  ministers  and  probationers,  at  such  places,  and 
under  such  regulations,  as  the  Conference  or  Presbytery 
might,  from  time  to  time,  direct. 

Sundry  queries  were  proposed  on  Psalmody,  and  referred, 
on  account  of  the  importance  of  the  subject,  for  future  consider- 
ation. 

The  Conference  then  resolved  to  adjourn,  to  meet  in  the  same 
place  on  the  first  Tuesday  of  October  following,  when  Mr. 
Rankin  was  requested  to  open  the  meeting  with  a  sermon.  The 
recommendations  before  adopted,  inviting  the  attendance  of 
ministers,  probationers,  and  delegates,  were  repeated  ;  and  after 
a  session  of  two  days,  the  Conference  adjourned.* 

Whether  the  adjourned  meeting  took  place  in  October  or  not, 
is  not  known,  as  there  is  no  record  extant  of  any  further  pro- 
ceedings. 

This  Conference,  of  so  much  value  and  interest  in  the  early 
foundation  of  the  Church,  was  probably  convoked  by  Mr.  Rice  ; 
as  the  plan,  and  all  the  measures  proposed,  together  with  the 
admirable  order  and  method  which  characterized  the  entire  pro- 
ceedings, bear  the  impress  of  his  judicious  and  far-sighted  mind. 
The  Very  first  step  taken,  had  reference  to  the  introduction  of 
complete  and  regular  Presbyterial  organization ;  and  the  plan 
suggested  met  the  approbation  of  the  Hanover  Presbytery.  In 
consequence  of  the  recommendations  passed,  Churches  were 
organized  and  elders  ordained  in  several  places.f 

The  harmony  of  the  Conference  was  at  one  time  in  danger  of 
being  interrupted  by  the  introduction  of  the  vexed  question  of 
Psalmody.  The  person  who  proposed  the  queries  was  Mr. 
Rankin,  whose  mind  had  long  been  absorbed  by  this  subject.  J 
On  account  of  the  opposition  made  to  his  rigid  views  he  had 
left  the  Holstein  settlements,  and  now  threw  the  apple  of  dis- 


*  McAfee's  MS.  Hist.  pp.  '27 — 34,  where  a  copy  of  these  minutes  is  pre- 
sented in  full. 

f  McAfee  MS.  pp.  25,  31.     The  Churches  of  Cane  Run  and  New  Provi- 
dence are  specified,  and  tlie  names  of  the  elders  recorded. 

X  McAfee  MS,  p.  34.     MS.  Memoir,  dictated  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Rice,  in  the 
possession  of  the  Lyle  family. 
6 


78  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  KENTUCKY. 

cord  among  the  young  and  promising  chm'clies  of  Kentucky. 
His  ministerial  brethren  entirely  dissented  from  his  sentiments  ; 
and  while  he  viewed  them  as  latitudinarian,  they  regarded  him 
as  a  bigot. 

The  causes  of  the  delay  in  the  organization  of  churches  were 
as  follows.  When  Mr.  Rice  entered  upon  his  labors  in  Lincoln 
county  according  to  invitation,  he  found  the  religious  condition 
and  prospects  of  the  community  extremely  discouraging.  Save 
a  few  who  had  been  his  acquaintances  and  hearers  in  Virginia, 
scarce  any  supported  a  creditable  profession.  Some  were 
grossly  ignorant  of  the  first  principles  of  religion  ;  others  were 
addicted  to  intemperance,  profanity,  or  brawling  ;  and  nearly  all 
totally  neglected  the  forms  of  devotion  in  their  families.  Certifi- 
cates, indeed,  were  handed  him  by  many,  attesting  their  relation 
to  churches  in  the  older  settlements  from  which  they  had  emi- 
grated ;  and  others  attempted  to  impose  on  him  by  procuring 
the  testimony  of  their  neighbors  to  their  correct  moral  deport- 
ment. If  the  neighbors  scrupled  to  give  such  testimony  when 
required,  the  passion  and  resentment  exhibited  afforded  unequivo- 
cal evidence  that  the  scruples  were  not  groundless.  On  the 
other  hand,  when  such  testimony  was  adduced,  Mr.  Rice  was 
generally  compelled  to  distrust  the  information,  either  on  account 
of  the  duplicity  of  the  witnesses,  their  doubtful  character,  or  their 
manifest  ignorance  of  the  qualifications  of  a  Christian  proffessor. 

Under  these  circumstances,  Mr.  Rice  declined  administering 
the  sealing  ordinances  for  upwards  of  a  year,  that  he  might,  after 
close  personal  scrutiny,  be  better  prepared  to  act  as  the  true 
interests  of  the  Church  required.  This  interval  he  spent  in 
preaching  and  visitation,  and  in  extending  his  acquaintance  with 
the  people.  In  this  course  he  persevered,  although  it  gave  great 
umbrage,  and  thinned  his  congregations ;  but  while  the  nominal 
professors  freely  censured  him,  he  was  encouraged  and  sustained 
by  the  truly  pious.  This  latter  class,  however,  constituted  by 
far  the  smaller  number.* 

It  was  the  state  of  affairs  just  described,  which  doubtless  led 
to  the  adoption  of  the  fifth  recommendation  of  the  Conference  at 
their  first  meeting  in  March  ;  the  design  of  w^hich  was  to  prevent 
the  intrusion  of  unworthy  members,  by  affording  the  minister  an 


Bishop's  Rice,  c.  ix,  pp.  67-69. 


PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  KENTUCKY.  79 

opportunity  beforehand  of  satisfying  himself  as  to  their  qualifica- 
tions. 

Sufficient  time  having  now  elapsed  for  observation  and  reflec- 
tion on  his  own  part,  and  for  a  gradual  return  of  the  people  to 
correct  habits  of  thinking  and  conduct,  and  having  the  prospect 
of  being  sustained  by  the  judgment  of  the  Conference,  Mr.  Rice 
thought  the  religious  community  ripe  for  a  strict  and  vigilant 
discipline  ;  and  in  consequence  churches  were  organized  every- 
where without  further  delay,  and  elders  ordained  over  them. 

In  the  ensuing  fall,  two  clergymen,  the  Rev.  Edward  Craw- 
ford and  Rev,  Charles  Gumming,  visited  Kentucky,  by  order  of 
the  Presbytery  of  Hanover  within  whose  bounds  the  district  was 
embraced,  and  in  accordance  with  the  suggestion  and  petition  of 
the  late  Conference.  In  connection  with  Mr.  Rice,  they  consti- 
tuted a  Commission  of  Presbytery,  empowered  to  examine  and 
ordain  the  two  probationers,  Messrs.  James  Crawford  and  Terah 
Templin.  This  duty  they  performed  at  Danville,  Nov.  10th, 
1785,  and  ordained  the  young  men  to  the  work  of  evangelists,  or 
sine  titulo;  after  which  they  returned  to  Virginia.* 

In  this  occurrence  two  circumstances  are  worthy  of  notice : 
I.  The  appointment  of  a  Commission,  invested  with  full  Preshy- 
terial  powers  and  functions  for  a  specific  purpose,  a  precedent 
that  may  be  borne  in  mind  when  we  come  to  speak  of  the  Com- 
mission of  Synod  in  1805,  against  whose  jurisdiction  exceptions 
were  taken  on  account  of  their  investment  with  Synodical  pow- 
ers for  a  specific  purpose.  2.  The  early  occurrence  of  ordina- 
tions sine  titulo;  a  measure  rendered  necessary  by  the  destitute 
condition  of  the  country,  which  was  to  be  in  a  great  degree 
evangelized  as  missionary  ground  ;  but  which  has,  in  later  times, 
and  to  an  unwarrantable  extent,  been  repeated  to  the  injury  of 
the  Church. 

The  Rev.  James  Crawford  was  educated  at  Princeton  Col- 
lege, and  would  have  proceeded  Bachelor  of  Arts  in  the  fall  of 
1777,  had  not  the  proximity  of  the  British  forces  interrupted  the 
annual  commencement.  He  received,  however,  a  certificate 
from  the  President,  Dr.  Witherspoon,  stating  the  fact,  and  pro- 
mising a  degree  as  soon  as  circumstances  would  warrant.  A 
certificate  of  church  membership  which  he  received,  in  October 

*  Bishop's  Rice,  App.  No.  VII.  p.  159. 


30  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  KENTUCKY. 

of  the  same  year,  from  his  pastor,  Rev.  John  Craighead,  is  an- 
other curious  reUque  of  those  times,  when  the  names  of  Whig 
and  Tory  exerted  a  talismanic  influence  over  men's  minds.  Ap- 
pended to  the  document  is  an  attestation  of  his  patriotic  senti- 
ments, in  these  words  :  "  And  also,  he  appears  well  affected  to 
the  cause  of  American  liberty."  When  we  bear  in  mind  the 
probability,  from  the  date,  that  this  was  furnished  as  part  of  the 
credentials  necessary  for  his  reception  by  the  Presbytery  as  a 
candidate,  it  gives  us  an  insight  into  the  political  preferences  of 
the  Presbyterian  clergy.  Warm  patriots  themselves,  it  doubt- 
less constituted  a  strong  recommendation  for  a  candidate  to 
entertain  similar  sentiments. 

Two  years  afterward  Mr.  Crawford  was  licensed  by  the 
Presbytery  of  Hanover,  October  26th,  1779;  but  was  disabled 
from  constant  preaching  by  an  imposthume  in  his  side  ;  and  in 
1784  he  removed  with  his  family  to  Kentucky.  Upon  his  ordi- 
nation in  the  succeeding  year,  he  settled  at  Walnut  Hill,  and 
gathered  and  organized  a  flourishing  church.  There  he  re- 
mained until  his  death ;  dividing  his  time  between  two  churches, 
a  custom  rendered  necessary  by  the  paucity  of  ministers.  Al- 
though laboring  under  feeble  health,  he  gave  full  proof  of  his 
ministry,  and  numerous  converts  attested  his  industry  and  zeal, 
not  only  in  the  pulpit,  but  from  house  to  house.  At  last,  his  ex- 
ertions in  the  open  air,  during  a  sacramental  season  at  Paint 
Lick,  in  March,  1803,  induced  an  illness  which  in  less  than  a 
fortnight  brought  him  to  the  grave.  He  was  not  disabled  from 
going  about  and  giving  directions  in  the  family,  and  his  death 
was  as  unexpected  as  it  was  easy  ;  therein  having  his  frequent 
prayer  for  a  Euthanasia  answered.*  Mr.  Crawford  was  a  plain- 
looking  man,  of  very  grave  demeanor  ;  not  a  popular  preacher, 
but  highly  useful  and  instructive,  He  was  suspected  of  favoring 
Marshall  and  his  party  in  the  great  revival. 

The  Rev.  Terah  Templin  was  the  son  of  a  respectable  farm- 
er at  the  Peaks  of  Otter,  whose  piety  and  intelligence  rendered 
him  a  useful  assistant  to  Mr.  Rice  dering  his  labors  there. 
Terah  was  a  promising  young  man  of  twenty-three,  when  he 
attracted  the  notice  of  his  pastor,  who  proposed  to  educate  him 
for  the  ministry.     A  matrimonial    engagement   then   pending, 

*  Bishop,  pp.  159-162. 


PRESBYTERFANISM  IN  KENTUCKY.  31 

proved  a  temporary  obstacle  to  this  step ;  but  on  the  de- 
cease of  his  affianced,  shortly  after,  he  willingly  accepted  the  pro- 
posal. Having  passed  through  a  preparatory  course  with  a 
select  class,  under  Mr.  Rice's  tuition,  he  completed  his  studies  at 
Liberty  Hall,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the  first  students.  He  was 
licensed  by  Hanover  Presbytery  in  1780,  and  soon  after  came 
to  Kentucky,  where  he  received  ordination  sine  titulo,  in  1785. 
He  immediately  repaired  to  Washington  county,  on  the  south 
side  of  the  Kentucky  river,  where  he  organized  several  churches, 
and  did  the  work  of  an  evangelist  faithfully.  He  also  organized 
several  churches,  and  supplied  destitute  congregations  in  Living- 
ston county.  He  died,  October  6,  1818,  at  the  advanced  age 
of  seventy-six.  Faithful  to  the  attachment  of  his  early  years, 
which  had  been  prematurely  sundered,  he  never  married.  His 
talents  were  respectable,  his  discourses  well  digested,  his  doc- 
trinal views  sound,  his  manner  solemn  andampressive,  and  his 
deportment  exemplary,  guileless,  and  unassuming.* 

The  year  1786  was  memorable  for  the  reinforcement  of  the 
little  band  of  laborers,  by  the  accession  of  the  Rev.  Thomas 
Craighead  and  Andrew  McClure,  from  Western  Virginia,  and 
by  their  organization  into  a  Presbytery.  Thus  was  the  ardent 
desire,  early  expressed  by  the  first  Convention  at  Cane  Run, 
gratified,  the  Presbytery  of  Hanover  cordially  promoting  it. 
The  time  had  arrived  when  the  expansion  of  the  Church 
demanded  a  reorganization  of  the  entire  body.  Accordingly 
the  Synod  of  New  York  and  Philadelphia  took  into  serious  con- 
sideration a  p^an  for  the  erection  of  several  new  Presbyteries, 
the  division  of  the  old  Synod  into  four  new  Synods,  and  the 
government  of  th-e  whole  by  a  General  Assembly.f  This  plan 
was  not  finally  carried  into  effect  till  three  years  afterward, 
viz.  till  the  third  Tuesday  of  May,  1789  ;  being  under  dis- 
cussion all  that  time. 

The  Synod  of  Virginia  embraced  the  Presbytery  of  Red- 
stone, which  covered  the  settlements  in  Western  Pennsylvania  ; 
the  Presbytery  of  Hanover,  which  covered  Eastern  Virginia ; 
the  Presbytery  of  Lexington,  which  covered  the  Valley  and 
West  of  Virginia  ;  and  the  Presbytery  of  Transylvania,  (a 
euphonious    and    classical  name  for  the  backwoods,)   including 


*  Bishop's  Rice,  App.  No.  Vlll.  pp.  162-165. 

i  Records  c-f  the  Presb.  Ck,  Part  IV.,  pp.  522,  523. 


32  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  KENTUCKY. 

the  district  of  Kentucky  and  the  settlements  on  Cumberland 
river,  extending  into  what  is  now  the  State  of  Tennessee.  The 
jurisdiction  of  Transylvania  Presbytery  also  included,  at  a  sub- 
sequent period,  the  settlements  on  the  Miamies,  in  what  is  now 
the  State  of  Ohio.  Any  one  who  will  take  the  trouble  to  cast 
his  eye  over  the  map  of  the  United  States,  will  be  able  to  form 
an  idea  of  the  extent  of  territory  covered,  and  to  appreciate  the 
difficulty,  subsequently  experienced,  of  bringing  the  discipline  of 
the  Church  to  bear  with  promptness  on  the  disorders  of  the 
extreme  boundaries. 

The  Presbytery  of  Transylvania  consisted  of  the  Rev. 
David  Rice,  Thomas  Craighead,  Adam  Rankin,  Andrew 
McClure,  and  James  Crawford.  All  these  ministers,  with  the 
exception  of  Mr.  Craighead,*  met  in  the  Court  House  in  Dan- 
ville, on  Tuesday,  the  17th  of  October,  1786,  and  organized, 
agreeably  to  the  direction  of  the  Synod  ;  Mr.  Rice  presiding  as 
Moderator,  and  Mr.  McClure  acting  as  Clerk.  The  Rev. 
Terah  Templin,  lately  ordained  by  a  Commission  of  Hanover 
Presbytery,  was  admitted,  and  took  his  seat  as  a  member. 
There  were  five  ruling  elders  present — Messrs.  Richard 
Steel,  DaAdd  Gray,  John  Bovel,  Joseph  Reed,  and  Jeremiah 
Frame,  t 

From  an  inspection  of  the  Minutes,  this  meeting  appears  to 
have  been  conducted  with  great  decorum. J  Vacant  congre- 
gations were  recommended  to  meet  on  the  Lord's  Day,  for 
worship,  under  the  direction  of  the  elders,  who  were  to  pray, 
select  portions  of  Scripture  and  of  the  works  o-f  approved 
divines  to  be  read,  and  ap}X)int  the  readers.  |l 

It  was  agreed  also  that  Catechists  should  be  appointed  for 
the  purpose  of  instructing  the  young  and  ignorant  ;  but  that  no 
person  should  receive  an  appointment  to  the  office  until  he  had 
first  been  nominated  by  a  minister,  and  examined  and  approved 
by  the  Presbytery  ;  and  that  he   should  not,  by  virtue  of  this 


*  Tlie  distance    at  which    Mr.  Craighead  resided    Baade  him  ai  &eqnent 
absentee. 

t  Min.  Trans.  Presb.,  vol.  i.,  pp.  1,  2. 

I  The  old  forms,  since  discarded,  were  carefully  observed,  and  tli2>  Clerk 
reo;ularly  recorded  his  "■  Ubipost  ^eces  sederunt  qui  snfra"  &c. 

II  Mia.,  p.  a. 


PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  KENTUCKY.  83 

appointment,  attempt   to  expound  the  Scriptures,   preach  the 
Gospel,  or  dispense  seahng  ordinances.* 

In  1788,  the  Presbytery  received  the  Rev.  Samuel  Shannon, 
a  graduate  of  Princeton,  from  Western  Virginia.  He  took 
charge  of  the  Churches  of  Bethel  and  Sinking  Spring,  of  which 
he  continued  pastor  for  four  years,  when  he  resigned  them  for 
the  Church  of  Woodford.  Here  he  continued  till  180G.  In  the 
war  of  1812  he  volunteered  to  accompany  the  north-western 
army  as  a  chaplain.  He  was  a  man  of  great  physical  strength. 
His  fist  was  like  a  sledge-hammer,  and  he  was  said  to  have 
lopped  oir  a  stout  bough  at  a  single  stroke  of  his  sword,  when 
charging  through  the  woods.  Notwithstanding  his  strength,  he 
was  one  of  the  best-natured  men  in  the  world,  and  nothing 
could  provoke  or  ruffle  him.  He  had  also  a  mechanical  turn, 
and  invented  a  piece  of  apparatus  called  The  Whirling  Table  ; 
but  he  was  out  of  his  place  in  the  pulpit.  To  a  rough,  awk- 
ward, slovenly  appearance,  which  might,  however,  have  been 
overlooked,  was  added  a  slow  and  stammering  utterance.  He 
labored  indefatigably,  but  had  no  animation.  He  had  zeal 
without  warmth  ;  and,  like  the  head  of  Medusa,  chilled  and 
petrified  every  one  that  listened  to  him.  The  latter  years  of 
his  life  were  employed  in  missionary  labors,  chiefly  in  the  des- 
titute regions  of  Indiana,  where  he  was  cut  off"  by  the  country 
fever,  in  the  summer  of  1822.f 

The  Rev.  Andrew  McClure  was  born  in  Augusta  county, 
Virginia,  in  1755,  and  was  licensed  to  preach  in  1783.  He  had 
been  a  pupil  of  Mr.  Graham.  He  visited  Kentucky  in  1784, 
but  returned  and  was  ordained  pastor  of  Round  Oak.  He 
could  not  forget,  however,  the  charms  of  Kentucky,  and,  in 
1786,  removed  thither  with  his  family.  In  1787  he  organized 
the  Salem  and  Paris  Churches  ;  and  in  1789  took  charge  of  the 
latter,  where  he  remained  till  his  decease  in  1793,  in  the  39th 
year  of  his  age.  J 


*  At  the  next  meeting,  Mr.  James  Kemper,  (improperly  written  Camper,)  on 
the  nomination  of  Mr.  Rice,  and  after  an  examination  on  divinity,  was  appointed 
to  the  office  of  a  Catechist,  formally  engaging  not  to  violate  the  provisos  above 
recited.  Mr.  Kemper  was  afterwards  ordained  pastor  of  the  Churches  of  Cin- 
cinnati and  Columbia,  October  23d,  1792,  tlie  Presbytery  meeting  in  Cincinnati 
for  the  purpose.     Min.  Trnns.  Presb.,  vol.  i.,  pp.  4,  10,  76. 

t  MS.  Hist,  of  Bethel  Church,  by  Rev.^Robert  Marshall,  p.  1.  Bishop,  p.  286. 

j  Min.  Trans.  Presb.,  vol  i.,  p.  96.     Bishop,  p.  282. 


84  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  KENTUCKY. 

The  founding  of  Transylvania  Seminary  in  1783,  its  removal 
from  Lincoln  to  Lexington  in  1788,  and  the  interest  taken  in  its 
fortunes  by  Mr.  Rice  and  other  Presbyterians,  Hon.  Caleb 
Wallace,  Col.  Todd,  and  his  father,  would  properly  fall  into 
this  place  ;  but  as  a  connected  account  will  be  furnished,  in  a 
subsequent  chapter,  of  the  fortunes  of  this  institution,  details  are 
deferred  for  the  present. 

These  steps  were  a  great  advance  upon  the  loose  and  dis- 
orderly state  in  which  Mr.  Rice  found  religion  on  his  arrival, 
but  much  remained  to  be  done.  The  superficial  gazer,  charmed 
with  the  order  and  external  prosperity  everywhere  visible, 
might  have  exclaimed,  "  How  goodly  are  thy  tents,  O  Jacob  !" 
but  the  experienced  Christian  has  learned  to  look  deeper  than 
the  surface,  and  to  search  for  that  vital  piety,  without  which  the 
body  is  inanimate,  and  which  alone  constitutes  the  true  glory  of 
the  Church.  The  venerable  patriarch  might  have  been  con- 
gratulated on  his  seeing  twelve  churches  planted  and  flourishing 
within  the  short  space  of  three  years  ;  but  his  penetrating  eye 
observed  much  that  gave  him  pain. 

Dissatisfied  with  the  inordinate  worldliness  and  lukewarmness 
of  his  own  denomination,  he  looked  in  vain  for  a  more  pleasing 
and  encouraging  prospect  among  other  sects.  The  state  of 
society  was  quite  different  from  that  of  an  older  settled  country. 
The  novelty  of  the  circumstances  into  which  they  were  brought 
abated  the  piety  and  spirituality  of  the  Christian  character,  and 
generated  a  careless  indifference  to  religion.  The  unpromising 
aspect  of  the  field  of  labor  threw  Mr.  Rice  into  deep  despond- 
ency, until  the  society  of  a  devout  old  Baptist  preacher  from 
New  York,  Mr.  Gano,  and  his  own  private  exercises  of  mind, 
reanimated  him,  and  he  redoubled  his  zeal  and  exertions.  Not 
contented  with  his  own  personal  duty,  he  wrote  a  circular  letter 
to  his  ministerial  brethren,  about  the  year  1790,  proposing  Paul 
as  their  common  example.  A  revival  of  religion  was  the 
happy  consequence,  in  his  own  and  other  congregations,  which 
continued  for  some  months.  During  this  period,  not  only  were 
Christians  more  interested,  but  every  sacramental  occasion  saw 
a  few  converts  added  to  the  Church. 

At  the  period  under  review  the  Presbyterians  and  Baptists 
had  an  equal  number   of  congregations,  viz.,  sixteen  of  each 


PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  KENTUCKY.  85 

denomination.*  But  the  latter  had  greatly  the  advantage  as 
regarded  preachers,  boasting  no  fewer  than  thirty  ;  while  the 
Presbyterians  could  count  only  seven.  These  two  were  for 
some  years  the  only  prominent  sects  in  the  country.  It  was 
not  till  178G  that  two  travelling  preachers  of  the  Methodist 
connection,  James  Haw  and  Benjamin  Ogden,  visited  Kentucky, 
and  the  number  in  society  was  then  but  ninety,  all  of  whom 
were  whites. f  Mr.  Haw  afterwards  (1803)  connected  himself 
with  the  party  called  Cumberland  Presbyterians.  There  were 
as  yet  but  a  handful  of  scattered  Episcopalians,  without  a  min- 
ister or  a  place  of  worship.^  About  fifty  Roman  Catholic 
families  had  emigrated  from  Maryland  in  1785  and  1786,  who 
were  principally  settled  round  Bardstown  and  in  Nelson  county, 
to  whom  Father  Whelan,  an  Irish  Franciscan,  was  sent  as  a 
missionary,  by  the  Very  Reverend  Dr.  Carroll,  in  1787.§  He 
was  followed  in  1790  by  the  Rev.  William  de  Rohan  ;  and  by 
the  Rev.  M.  Barrieres,  and  the  Rev.  Stephen  Theodore  Badin, 
a  French  refugee,  in  1793;  the  latter  of  whom  lived  to  cele- 
brate the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  his  arrival.  At  this  time  the 
number  of  Roman  Catholic  families  amounted  to  three  hundred, 
very  scattered. ||     After  this  period,  priests  and  congregations 


*  Winterbotham,  vol.  iii.,  p.  149. 

f  Methodist  Gospel  Herald,  vol.  ii.,  p.  162. 

i  Marshall,  vol.  i.,  p.  144.     Winterbotham,  vol.  iii.,  p.  149. 

ij  Father  Whelan  was  as  much  troubled  to  collect  his  arrears  as  Father  Rice. 
Me  was  compelled  to  go  to  law  for  the  payment  of  a  written  engagement  for 
£100  ;  and  the  jury  gravely  decided  that  he  should  be  paid,  but  paid  in  produce  ! 
For  speaking  freely  of  this  verdict,  he  was  prosecuted  for  slander,  and  fined 
£500  !  He  was  about  to  be  imprisoned,  when  one  of  his  prosecutors,  a  Cath- 
olic, relented,  and  went  his  bail.  This  furnishes  an  amusing  contrast  with  Dr. 
Spalding's  commentary  on  Mr.  Rice  refusing  to  remove  to  Kentucky  without 
'•  a  substantial  call  in  the  shape  of  an  instrument  of  writing,  signed  by  three 
hundred  men.  So  much  for  married  preachers."  Sketches,  p.  84.  But  the 
Vicar-General  has  no  wit  to  spare,  and  no  7th  chapter  of  1st  Corinthians  to 
quote,  in  the  similar  case  of  Father  Whelan.  According  to  Dr.  Carroll's  advice, 
'•  an  instrument  of  writing  was  drawn  up,  by  which  six  of  the  principal  emi- 
grants to  Kentucky  had  bound  themselves  to  pay  him  annually  the  sum  of  one 
hundred  pounds  in  currency — a  sum  about  equal  to  $280  of  our  present  money. 
Yet  F.  Whelan  had  not  been  more  than  six  months  in  Kentucky,  when  an  effort 
was  made  by  one  or  two  of  the  principal  contractors  to  have  this  instrument 
set  aside  and  declared  illegal  liy  the  courts  of  law."  p.  46.  Contrast  this 
prudent  silence  with  his  insinuations  against  the  Protestant  preachers,  as  "  the 
keene.st  traders  of  the  country;" — "  Such,  then,  are  thy  acknowledged  fruits, 
O  Protestantism  ;'' — "  So  much  for  married  preachers."  pp.  89,  88,  84.  "We 
mean  to  be  impartial  I"     Most  candid  Vicar-General  ! 

II  Poor  Father  Badin  had  to  fare  as  hardly  as  Father  Rice  and  Dr.  John  P. 
Campbell,  wearing  homespun  of  necessity,  and  grinding  liis  own  corn  with  a 


86  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  KENTUCKY. 

multiplied  rapidly.  The  Diocese  of  Bardstown  contains  at 
present  about  thirty  churches  and  10,000  communicants.* 

The  predilections  of  the  Virginia  emigrants  generally  inclined 
to  the  Baptist  or  Presbyterian  persuasions,  according  to  their 
previous  geographical  position  east  or  west  of  the  Blue  Ridge. 
The  reader  will  not  be  displeased  to  learn  something  of  the  early 
Baptists. 

About  the  close  of  the  revolutionary  war,  great  numbers  of 
Baptists  removed  from  the  lower  counties  of  Virginia,  and  occu- 
pied some  of  the  fairest  portions  of  Kentucky.  To  them  belongs 
the  credit  of  having  been  the  first  to  introduce  the  regular  public 
worship  of  God,  and  the  organization  of  churches. f  Ten  or 
more  of  their  preachers  accompanied  them.  The  most  promi- 
nent was  Lewis  Craig,  of  Spotsylvania  county.  He  and  the 
majority  of  his  flock  organized  themselves  into  a  distinct  church 
on  starting,  and  removed  in  a  body  in  1781,  keeping  up  worship 
whenever  they  halted  on  the  journey.  This  "  Travelling  Church" 
first  settled  on  Gilbert's  Creek,  in  Lincoln,  but  two  years  after- 
wards, a  large  number,  with  Mr.  Craig,  crossed  the  Kentucky, 
and  formed  the  South  Elkhorn  Church. J 

In  1785,  the  Baptists  were  sufficiently  numerous  to  constitute 
three  Associations,  Elkhorn,  Salem,  and  South  Kentucky.  With 
the  exception  of  the  last  named,  which  espoused  the  views  of  the 
Separatists,  all  belonged  to  the  regular  Baptists,  whose  doctrines 
were  strictly  Calvinistic,  as  represented  in  the  Philadelphia  Con- 
fession of  Faith,  which  is  the  same  substantially  with  the  West- 
minster. § 

The  early  Baptist  preachers  were  Joseph  Redding,  a  zealous 
and  popular  preacher  ;||  William  Marshall,  an  uncle  of  the  late 
Chief  Justice  Marshall,  who  possessed  a  strong  mind,  and  whose 
conversion  was  the  more  remarkable  from  his  having  been  the 
brightest  ornament  of  the  fashionable  circles  in  his  early  days  ;"II 
Lewis  Craig,  the  most  prominent  and  influential  minister  of  his 


hand-mill.  Once  he  was  for  several  days  without  bread,  till  supplied  by  a  friend 
who  accidentally  was  apprised  of  his  situation.     Spalding,  p.  70. 

*  Spalding,  p.  298. 

t  Filson,  in  Imlay,  p.  321.         t  John  Taylor's  Hist,  of  Ten  Churches,  p.  40. 

5  Benedict's  Hist,  of  the  Baptists,  vol.  ii.  pp.  228,237. 

II  I.ives  of  Virginia  Baptist  Ministers,  by  Rev.  James  B.  Taylor,  of  Rich- 
mond, p.  208. 

IT  Taylor's  Lives,  p.  103. 


PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  KENTUCKY.  §7 

time,  who  had  been  imprisoned  in  Virginia,  and  preached  to 
crowds  through  the  iron  grates  ;*  Elijah  Craig,  a  man  of  con- 
siderable natural  talents  and  inextinguishable  zeal,  but  too  cen- 
sorious in  his  temper  ;  Joh7i  Taylor,  an  illiterate  but  shrewd  man, 
a  Boanerges  in  the  pulpit,  with  a  constitution  of  iron,  who  drew 
up  a  history  of  ten  churches  to  which  he  had  ministered  ',-\  Wil- 
liam Hickman,  who  was  converted  by  hearing  some  Baptist 
preachers  exhorting  from  the  windows  of  Chesterfield  jail,  and 
who  afterwards  himself  baptized  more  converts  than  any  of  his 
teachers,  five  hundred  at  the  Forks  of  Elkhorn  alone  ;J  and 
Ambrose  Dudley,  who  was  converted  while  a  captain  in  the 
revolutionary  army,  and  retaining  his  military  habits,  became 
renowned  as  a  disciplinarian,  a  single  glance  of  his  eye  being 
sufficient  to  awe  an  assembly  into  silence.  §  He  was  the  father 
of  the  distinguished  Professor  of  Anatomy  and  Surgery,  in  Tran- 
sylvania University.  The  longevity  of  all  these  men  was  re- 
markable. Redding  was  aged  65  years  when  he  died ;  Marshall 
and  Dudley,  73 ;  Hickman,  76 ;  Elijah  Craig,  80 ;  Taylor,  81  ; 
and  Lewis  Craig,  87. 


*  Lewis  Craig  was  not  a  man  of  cultivated  mind,  but  of  sound  sense,  recom- 
mended by  agreeable  manners,  a  musical  voice,  and  an  impassioned  delivery. 
His  labors  were  chiefly  confined  to  Orange  and  Spotsylvania,  and  hundreds  were 
converted  under  his  preaching.  The  friends  of  the  establishment  taking  the 
alarm,  the  sheriff  arrested  him  in  the  yard  of  the  meeting-house,  and  dragged 
him  and  others  to  court  as  disturbers  of  the  peace.  "  May  it  please  your  wor- 
ship," said  the  sheriflf,  "  they  cannot  meet  a  man  upon  the  road,  but  they  must 
ram  a  text  of  Scripture  down  his  throat!"  As  they  refused  to  abstain  from 
preaching,  they  were  sentenced  to  Fredericksburg  jail  for  a  month.  They 
marched  through  the  street  to  prison,  singing  "  Broad  is  the  road  that  leads  to 
death  !"  Craig  preached  through  the  iron  grates  to  large  crowds,  not  without 
success.  At  another  time,  ho  was  imprisoned  three  months  in  Caroline.  He 
removed  to  Kentucky  in  1781  ;  but  subsequently  became  involved  in  imprudent 
speculations,  from  which  he  suffered  much,  both  in  mind  and  purse.  His  trials 
and  disappointments,  however,  were  sanctified  to  him,  and  he  recovered  his 
spiritiiaiity  and  religious  comfort  before  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1827,  and 
in  the  87th  year  of  his  age. — Taylor's  Lives,  p.  84. 
f  Taylor's  Lives,  p.  217.      \  Taylor's  Lives,  p.  221.      \  Taylor's  Lives,  p.  214. 


CHAPTER    III. 


THE  RANKIN  SCHISM. 

Small  as  the  circle  of  Presbyterian  influence  was,  the  bhght- 
ing  curse  of  schism  was  destined  to  contract  it,  and  to  retard  the 
healthy  and  triumphant  march  of  evangelical  truth.  The  author 
of  this  disturbance  was  the  Rev.  Adam  Rankin.  We  have 
already  seen  him  at  the  Conference  of  Cane  Run,  attempting  to 
sow  the  seeds  of  discord  by  obtruding  his  rigid  opinions  on  the 
subject  of  Psalmody.  Although  his  brethren,  on  that  occasion, 
disapproved  of  his  views,  he  obstinately  persisted  in  inculcating 
them  in  every  quarter.  Had  he  confined  himself  to  the  mere 
advocacy  and  use  of  Rouse's  literal  version,  no  one  would  have 
taken  umbrage ;  but  not  satisfied  with  calm  and  dispassionate 
argument,  he  took  the  field  as  a  fierce  polemic,  and  launched  his 
anathemas  against  all  who  presumed  to  diff'er  from  him. 

So  intent  was  he  upon  subverting  the  new  Psalmody,  or  as 
Gary  Allen  afterwards  called  it,  "  Gospel  Psalmody,"  that  he 
attended  the  first  General  Assembly,  which  met  in  Philadelphia, 
in  May  1789,  although  bearing  no  commission,  and  handed  in  an 
overture  and  a  request  to  be  heard  on  the  subject  of  it,  with  a 
view  to  obtain  a  repeal  of  the  resolution  of  the  old  Synod  of 
New  York  and  Philadelphia,  in  1787,  allovnng  Watts'  Psalms  to 
be  used  in  the  churches.*     The  Assembly  listened  to  him  patient- 


*  The  resolution  is  in  these  words :  "  The  Synod  did  allow,  and  do  hereby 
allow,  that  Dr.  Watts'  imitation  of  David's  Psalms,  as  revised  by  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Barlow,  be  sung  in  the  churches  and  families  under  their  care.  But  they 
are,  at  the  same  time,  far  from  disapproving  of  Rouse's  version,  commonly  call- 
ed "  The  Old  Psalms,"  in  those  who  are  in  the  use  of  them,  and  choose  to  con- 
tinue ;  but  are  of  opinion  that  either  may  be  used  by  the  churches,  as  each 
congregation  may  judge  to  be  most  for  their  peace  and  edification.  And  do, 
tlierefore,  highly  disapprove  of  severe  and  unchristian  censures  being  passed 
on  either  of  the  said  systems  of  Psalmody."— Assembly's  Digest,  p.  312. 


THE  RANKIN  SCHISM.  gy, 

\y,  and  endeavored  in  a  conciliatoiy  manner,  to  relieve  his  mind 
of  the  difficulties  under  which  he  labored,  but  in  vain ;  and  they 
dismissed  him  with  a  recommendation  to  exercise  towards  those 
who  difiered  from  him,  that  charity  which  was  exercised  towards 
himself;  and  to  guard  carefully  against  disturbing  the  peace  of 
the  church  on  this  subject.* 

In  total  disregard  of  this  pious  and  salutary  advice,  and  as  if 
rather  irritated  by  it,  Mr.  Rankin  no  sooner  returned  home,  than 
he  vented  the  most  censorious  invectives  against  the  Presbyterian 
clergy,  as  deists  and  blasphemers,  rejecters  of  revelation  and 
revilers  of  God's  word ;  and  all  the  admirers  of  Watts  he  uncere- 
moniously debarred  from  the  Lord's  table. f  Nor  did  he  stop' 
here,  but  shielded  himself  under  the  sanction  of  a  Divine  warrant, 
pretending  to  be  directed  in  this  and  all  other  affairs  of  moment, 
by  dreams  and  visions.  Mr.  Rice,  to  whom  he  had  confided  his 
dreams,  solemnly  warned  him  of  the  danger  of  being  led  into 
great  errors  and  delusions,  and  expressed  his  strong  disapproba- 
tion of  reliance  on  dreams  and  night-visions  for  direction  in  duty. 
But  he  silenced  his  friend  in  a  summary  manner  by  replying, 
that  those  who  had  never  experienced  it,  could  form  no  judgment 
about  the  matter.J  He  represented  himself  as  an  instrument 
raised  up  by  God  for  this  special  juncture,  and  he  was  confident 
that  he  should  live  to  see  the  total  expulsion  of  Watts'  Psalmody 
from  the  Church.§  When  asked  by  what  authority  he  went  to 
the  General  Assembly,  and  whom  he  represented  there,  the  only 
reply  he  deigned  to  give  was  this:  "  Tell  me  was  the  institution 
of  Watts  of  Heaven  or  of  men,  and  I  w^ill  tell  you  by  what 
authority  I  did  these  things."||  Upon  another  occasion,  and  on 
quite  another  subject,  this  enthusiast  attempted  to  lifit  the  veil 
from  futurity,  and  rounded  oflf  his  prediction  with  affirming,  as  if 
he  were  a  second  Samuel,  "that  the  Lord  would  not  let  the 
words  of  his  servant  fall  to  the  ground."^ 


The  sturdy  champions  of  "  David's  Psalms"  in  the  most  literal  version,  find 
themselves  in  strange  company.  It  was  no  other  than  the  pompous  Unitarian, 
Paul  of  Samosata,  who  first  set  the  example  of  installing  the  Psalms  in  the  place 
of  exclusive  dignity,  on  pretence  of  honoring  the  words  of  Holy  Scripture,  and 
hanishcd  the  old  church  hymns  that  spoke  of  Christ  as  the  Incarnate  Word. — 
Neander's  Ch.  Hist.  p.  37t;. 

*  Assembly's  Digest,  p.  315.  f  Rankin's  Narr.  of  the  Process,  &c.,  parti,  p.  2b'. 

t  See  Mr.  Rice's  Statement,  Presbytery's  Narrative  of  Rankin's  Trial,  p.  11. 

§  Presb.  Narr.  p.  6.     Rankin's  Narr.  part  I.  p.  39.     ||  Presb.  Narr.  p.  4. 

11  Evangelical  Record,  vol.  ii.  p.  421,  note. 


90  THE  RANKIN  SCHISM. 

To  such  a  length  were  these  extravagances  carried  that 
sundry  charges  were  laid  before  the  Presbytery  against  Mr. 
Rankin,  in  consequence  of  which  a  Committee  of  Prosecu- 
tion was  appointed,  Oct.  7,  1789,  to  examine  into  the  allega- 
tions, and,  if  necessary,  to  make  arrangements  for  a  trial.* 
This  committee,  consisting  of  the  Rev.  James  McConnel,  (re- 
ceived from  Western  Virginia,  in  April  previous,)  and  Messrs. 
Shannon  and  Crawford,  met  at  Mount  Zion  Church,  in  Lexing- 
ton, in  November,  and  conducted  the  investigation.  The  result 
of  their  labors  appeared  in  several  formal  charges  and  specifica- 
tions against  Mr.  Rankin,  which,  as  they  were  not  digested  in  as 
orderly  a  manner  as  they  might  have  been,  may  be  here  reduced 
to  three  heads,  viz :  That  Mr.  Rankin  had  traduced  his  brethren  ; 
that  he  had  unwarrantably  debarred  from  the  table  of  the  Lord, 
all  such  as  used  or  approved  Watts'  Psalmody  ;  that  he  had  pre- 
tended to  extraordinary  Divine  revelation  through  the  medium  of 
dreams.  Citations  were  issued  by  the  committee  to  Mr.  Rankin 
and  all  concerned  as  witnesses,  to  attend  the  next  stated  meeting 
of  Presbytery,  April  29,  1790.  Instead  of  obeying,  Mr.  Rankin 
made  a  precipitate  retreat,  and  exiled  himself  a  year,  to  use  his 
own  expression,  in  London.  His  object  was  two-fold,  as  he 
himself  has  stated.  He  was  in  hopes  that  a  temporary  absence 
might  mollify  the  indignant  feelings  which  his  course  had  excited, 
and  he  was  besides  desirous  of  making  further  improvements  in 
divinity,  and  particularly  upon  a  special  subject  to  which  he 
devoted  the  most  intense  study.  What  this  subject  was,  he  has 
not  informed  us.f 

After  an  absence  of  two  years,  he  returned ;  and  Presbytery 
understanding  that  his  sentiments  had  undergone  no  change, 
ordered  the  citaytions  to  be  renewed.  Meantime,  in  consequence 
of  a  petition  from  a  number  of  the  Pisgah  congregation,  craving 
their  dismissal  from  the  pastoral  care  of  Mr.  Rankin,  on  account 
of  his  continued  absence  for  more  than  a  twelvemonth  without 
any  consultation  with  them,  the  Presbytery  considered  them- 
selves authorized  to  furnish  them  supplies,  and  accordingly,  May 
18,  1791,  did  appoint  Mr.  James  Blythe,  (a  probationer  from  the 
Presbytery  of  Orange,  in  the  Carolinas,  to  whom  permission  had 


*  Min.  of  Transylv.  Pby.  vol.  i.  p.  32. 

f  Rankin's  Narr.  part  II.  p.  53.     Min.  Transylv.  Pby.  vol.  i.  pp.  36,  38,  45. 


THE  RANKIN  SCHISM.  gf 

just  been  granted  to  preach  in  their  bounds,)  to  supply  one  Sunday 
at  Pisgah  and  one  Sunday  at  Zion.* 

On  the  25th  of  April,  1792,  the  cause  came  on  for  trial  at 
Stonermouth  Church.  Mr.  Rankin  was  present,  as  were  all  the 
witnesses  originally  cited,  except  three,  one  of  whom  had  de- 
ceased. Witnesses  were  examined  on  both  sides  upon  oath,  and 
subscribed  the  record  with  their  own  hands ;  after  which  the 
defendant  was  heard  for  himself.  He  made  no  attempt  to  excul- 
pate himself  from  the  first  and  second  charges,  but  plead  justifi- 
cation. He  was  about  to  enter  into  an  argument  upon  the  gen- 
eral subject,  but  was  called  to  order,  and  directed  to  confine  his 
remarks  to  the  simple  question  of  fact,  "  Had  he  or  had  he  not 
conducted  himself  as  was  alleged  ?"  When  he  came  to  the  third 
charge,  he  does  not  appear,  so  far  as  can  be  gathered  both  from  his 
own  Narrative  and  that  of  the  Presbytery,f  to  have  either  con- 
fessed or  denied,  so  much  as  to  have  expressed  regret  at  having 
divulged  his  secret  exercises  to  confidants  who  proved  faithless. 
One  thing  he  positively  denied,  viz :  that  he  had  ever  elevated 
dreams  to  a  station  of  authority  and  direction  over  the  written 
word,  which  he  affirmed  he  took  for  his  unerring  rule,  and  by 
which  alone  he  was  governed. 

Here  he  paused.  The  Rev.  James  Crawford  then  rose  in  his 
place,  and  stated,  with  a  solemn  air,  that  he  now  found  himself 
in  very  peculiar  circumstances,  feeling  bound,  in  duty  and  con- 
science, as  a  member  of  Presbytery,  and  a  minister  of  the  Gos- 
pel, to  say  that  the  defendant  had  just  been  guilty  of  a  positive 
falsehood,  to  his  own  certain  knowledge,  and  of  which  Mr.  Ran- 
kin must  have  been  conscious ;  and,  if  the  Presbytery  chose,  he 
would  enter  into  an  explanation.  The  defendant  objected  to  the 
admission  of  new  testimony,  but  was  overruled,  on  the  ground 
that  a  similar  indulgence  had  been  previously  conceded  to  him- 
self. Mr.  Crawford  was  accordingly  sworn  ;  and  deposed,  that 
Mr.  Rankin  had,  on  a  certain  occasion,  excused  himself  to  depo- 
nent from  assisting  at  a  sacrament  when  Watts  would  be  used, 
in  consequence  of  a  warning  he  had  received  in  a  dream  ;  that 
he  had  informed  him,  that  in  all  matters  of  consequence  he  was 
under  an  extraordinary  Divine  direction ;  that  it  was  in  obedience 


*  Min.  Trans.  Pby.  vol.  i.  p.  54. 

t  Rankin's  Narr.  part  I.  p.  45.     Presbytery's  Narr.  p.  10. 


92  THK  RANKIN  SCHISM. 

to  such  a  direction  he  had  removed  to  Kentucky ;  and  that,  in 
the  same  extraordinary  way,  he  knew  that  Dr.  Watts'  Psalms 
would  be  finally  laid  aside  in  the  Church,  at  some  future  time, 
not  specified.  Mr.  Rankin  again  denied  his  having  narrated  his 
dreams  as  revelations  from  Heaven,  at  the  same  time  expressing 
regret  that  he  had  divulged  them. 

Testimony  being  closed  on  both  sides,  and  Mr.  Rankin  heard 
in  his  defence,  the  Presbytery  proceeded,  in  presence  of  a  great 
concourse  of  people,  to  adjudicate  the  cause.  The  first  and 
second  charges  weri  found  to  be  sustained  by  testimony,  and  the 
defendant's  own  confession.  The  third  charge  was  sustained  by 
the  testimony  of  five  witnesses,  viz:  Messrs.  Robert  Steel,  Robert 
Patterson,  John  Maxwell  and  James  Trotter,  members  of  Mount 
Zion  congregation,  and  Rev.  James  Crawford.  The  Presbytery 
considered  the  proof  of  guilt  conclusive,  and  adjudged  the  defend- 
ant to  be  worthy  of  censure.  Mr.  Rankin,  being  summoned  to 
hear  the  opinion  of  the  court,  refused  to  acknowledge  his  fault, 
or  to  make  any  concessions.  "I  appeal,"  he  cried,  "to  God, 
angels  and  men.  I  protest  against  the  proceedings  of  this  Pres- 
bvtery,  and  will  be  no  longer  a  member  of  the  Transylvania 
Presbytery."  Having  thus  said,  he  withdrew,  accompanied  by 
his  elder,  Mr.  David  Logan.  For  this  open  contempt  of  their 
jurisdiction,  joined  to  his  previous  misconduct,  as  just  proven,  the 
Presbytery  immediately  declared  him  suspended  from  the  exer- 
cise of  all  ministerial  functions,  until  the  next  stated  session.* 

Mr.  Rankin  had  not  resolved  upon  this  step  without  first  cal- 
culating his  strength.  No  sooner  had  he  pronounced  his  decli- 
nature, than  a  hundred  of  the  spectators  promptly  stepped  for- 
ward, and  giving  him  the  right  hand  of  fellowship,  pledged 
themselves  to  stand  by  him.f  A  general  meeting  of  his 
partisans  was  called,  on  the  first  of  June  following,  when 
they  matured  measures  for  separate  organization.  Commis- 
sioners appeared  from  portions  of  twelve  congregations,  re- 
presenting five  hundred  families. J  They  published  a  narrative 
of  the  recent  events,  and  a  declaration  of  principles,  both  drawn 
up  by  the  pen  of  their  leader.  The  Presbytery  felt  themselves 
obliged,  the  following  year,  to  publish  a  faithful  narrative  of  the 


*  Presb.  Narrative,  p.  13  ;   Min.  T.  Pby.,  vol.  i.  p.  66. 

f  Rankin's  Nam,  Part  III.  p.  69.  f  Ibid.  p.  70. 


THE  RANKIN  SCHISM.  93 

whole  proceedings  in  reply,  in  order  to  vindicate  themselves 
from  misrepresentation.*  Such  was  the  origin  of  the  Raukinite 
schism.  In  consequence  of  this  contumacious  and  schismatical 
conduct,  the  Presbytery  of  Transylvania  proceeded,  at  their  next 
meeting,  Oct.  2,  1792,  to  depose  Mr.  Rankin  from  the  office  of 
the  ministry,  and  to  declare  his  pastoral  charge  vacant.f  In  all 
the  steps  they  pursued,  we  perceive  a  gradation  of  punishment 
equitably  proportioned  to  the  gradation  of  offence  :  for  aspersions 
on  his  brethren,  he  was  censured ;  for  contumacy,  he  was  sus- 
pended ;  for  schism,  he  was  deposed. 

Artful  misrepresentations  were  industriously  circulated,  to  at- 
tract the  tide  of  popular  sympathy.  J  The  true  ground  of  con- 
demnation was  of  a  personal  kind,  and  Mr.  Rankin  was  punished 
for  being  an  uncharitable  calumniator,  and  a  setter-up  of  unau- 
thorized terms  of  communion,  under  the  pretence  of  Divine 
sanction  ;  but  this  was  studiously  kept  out  of  sight,  and,  notwith- 
standing the  explicit  disavowal  of  Presbytery,§  the  recommenda- 
tion of  the  supreme  judicatory,i|  and  the  actual  use  of  Rouse's 
version  among  certain  of  the  churches  without  the  slightest 
molestation,!!  (a  liberality  observed  to  this  day,)  it  was  unblush- 
ingly  affirmed  that  the  question  of  psalmody  was  tried  on  its 
naked  merits.  The  pastor  of  Mount  Zion  Church  was  looked 
upon  as  a  martyr  in  the  cause  of  truth,  persecuted  for  righteous- 
ness' sake  ;  the  faithful  Abdiel,  who  alone  swerved  not  from  his 
integrity,  when  all  his  fellows  proved  recreant. 

These  misrepresentations  procured  the  admission  of  Mr.  Ran- 
kin and  his  party,  the  ensuing  year,  (May,  1793,)  into  the  con- 
nection of  the  Associate  Reformed.  An  attempt  was  afterwards 
made,  in  1814,  to  reconsider  this  act,  suspicions  being  awakened 


*  This  was  a  pamphlet  of  forty-one  duodecimo  pages,  and  the  selling  price  was 
fixed  by  the  Presbytery  at  one  shilling  and  sixpence.     Min.  Tr.  Pby.,  vol.  i.  p.  86. 
t  Presb.  Narr.  p.  14. 

I  Evangel.  Record,  vol.  ii.  p.  422;   Marshall's  MS.  Hist,  of  Bethel,  p.  2. 

^  "  It  is  hereby  declared,  that  his  particular  sentiments  merely  in  the  use  of 
psalmody  were  never  considered  as  any  ground  of  censure,  or  sufficient  cause  of 
alienation  of  affl>ction :  he  was  censured  for  uncliristian  and  uncharitable  re- 
flections on  his  brethren  for  their  use  of  Dr.  Watts'  psalms  and  hymns,  his 
charging  them,  on  this  account,  with  deism,  blasphemy,  &c.,  and  that,  after  he 
had  agreed  with  some  of  them  to  exercise  mutual  forbearance.  Those  who 
spread  contrary  reports  cannot  produce  a  single  evidence  for  it;  and  those  wlio 
believe  it  do  it  on  the  most  unwarrantable  foundation."     Presb.  Narr.  p.  15. 

II  Assembly's  Digest,  p.  313.     See,  also,  pp.  315,  317. 

H  Evangel.  Rec,  vol.  ii.  p.  423,  Art.  "Origin  of  the  Rankinites." 
7 


94  THE  RANKIN  SCHISM. 

that  the  body  had  been  imposed  on  by  the  parties  admitted  ;  but 
no  issue  was  ever  made.* 

Two  missionaries  from  the  Associate  Church  in  Scotland,  re- 
presented as  learned  and  pious  men,  visited  Kentucky  in  March, 
1798,  and  a  considerable  number  of  Mr.  Rankin's  adherents 
abandoned  him,  to  form  a  connection  with  the  new  sect.  They 
formed  six  congregations,  and  nearly  all  removed  in  a  body 
across  the  Ohio  some  years  afterwards. f  As  for  Mount  Zion 
Church,  they  continued  to  cling  to  their  pastor  with  a  devoted 
attachment,  through  all  his  fortunes ;  and  when  he  broke  off  from 
the  Associate  Reformed,  they  became  Independent.  After  he 
left  them,  about  1825,  they  gradually  dwindled,  until  they  became 
almost  extinct.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Bower,  a  zealous  missionary  of 
the  Associate  Reformed  Synod,  visited  Kentucky  about  1833, 
and  succeeded  in  collecting  the  scattered  relics,  and  restoring 
them  to  their  former  connection.  Of  the  Associate  Reformed, 
there  are  not  more  than  half  a  dozen  feeble  churches  remaining 
in  the  State,  there  is  not  a  single  pastor  settled  over  any  of  them, 
and  the  Presbytery  of  Kentucky  has  been  merged  in  another. 
Such  was  the  end  of  the  Rankinite  schism. 

As  the  course  of  this  history  will  not  lead  us  again  to  notice 
Mr.  Rankin  or  his  sect,  a  brief  sketch  of  his  career  will  be  sub- 
joined, and  the  subject  dismissed. 

The  Rev.  Adam  Rankin  was  born  March  24,  1755,  near  Green- 
castle,  Western  Pennsylvania.  He  was  descended  from  pious 
Presbyterian  ancestors,  who  had  emigrated  from  Scotland,  mak- 
ing a  short  sojourn  in  Ireland  by  the  way.  His  mother,  who 
was  a  godly  woman,  was  a  Craig,  and  one  of  her  ancestors  suf- 
fered martyrdom,  in  Scotland,  for  the  truth.  That  ancestor,  of 
the  name  of  Alexander,  and  a  number  of  others,  were  thrown 
into  prison,  where  they  were  slaughtered,  without  trial,  by  a  mob 
of  ferocious  assassins,  till  the  blood  ran  ancle  deep.  This  account 
Mr.  Rankin  received  from  his  mother's  lips.  His  father  was  an 
uncommon  instance  of  early  piety,  and  because  the  minister 
scrupled  to  admit  one  so  young,  being  only  in  the  tenth  year  of 
his  age,  he  was  examined  before  a  presbytery.  From  the  moment 
of  his  son  Adam's  birth,  he  dedicated  him  to  the  ministry.     He 


Bishop's  Rice,  App.  No.  III.  p.  142.  f  Ibid.  App.  No.  IV.  p.  144. 


THE  RANKIN  SCHISM. 


95 


was  killed  in  his  own  mill,  when  Adam,  his  eldest  son,  was  in  his 
fifth  year.  When  Mr.  Rankin  was  eighteen  years  old,  he  was 
deeply  exercised  about  his  soul,  and  the  duty  of  entering  the 
ministry ;  and  a  friend  kindly  advancing  the  means  to  bear  his 
expenses,  without  demanding  security,  he  commenced  the  study 
of  the  languages  at  Mr.  Graham's  Academy,  in  Western  Virgi- 
nia. His  purpose  to  enter  the  college  of  New  Jersey  was  frus- 
trated by  the  British  troops  being  in  possession  of  Princeton;  and 
he  afterwards  lost  a  year's  study  by  a  dangerous  illness.  He 
completed  his  studies  with  the  Rev.  Archibald  Scott,  an  excel- 
lent scholar,  of  Hanover  Presbytery,  and  graduated  at  Liberty 
Hall,  about  1780.  Two  years  after,  Oct.  25,  1782,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-seven,  he  was  licensed  by  Hanover  Presbytery,  and, 
about  the  same  time,  married  Martha,  daughter  of  Alexander 
McPheeters,  of  Augusta  county.  He  received  three  calls  from 
the  neighborhoods  of  Holstein  and  Nolachuckey,  which  he  de- 
clined accepting,  on  account  of  disputes  on  psalmody ;  and  in 
the  following  year  visited  Kentucky,  and  receiving  a  call  at  Lex- 
ington, removed  thither  with  his  family  in  1784.*  Here  he 
opened  a  school,  and  had  Dr.  Campbell  for  one  of  his  pupils. 
He  appears  to  have  been  of  a  contentious,  self-willed  turn  from 
his  youth,  for  he  had  not  been  half  a  year  preaching  before  he 
involved  himself  in  a  quarrel  with  his  Virginia  brethren  on  his 
favorite  topic.f  At  the  Cane  Run  Conference,  he  tried  to  pro- 
duce discord  ;  he  went  to  the  General  Assembly  with  the  inten- 
tion to  dispute ;  J  and  his  wranglings  at  last  ended  in  a  s(;hism. 
Obstinate  and  opinionated,  his  nature  was  a  stranger  to  conces- 
sion, and  peace  was  to  be  bought  only  by  coming  over  to  his 
positions.  He  was  on  no  better  terms  with  the  Associate  Reformed 
than  he  had  been  with  the  Presbyterians ;  and  his  pugnacious 
propensities  brought  on  at  last  a  judicial  investigation.  A  com- 
mission of  the  General  Synod,  composed  of  Dr.  John  Mason, 
Ebenezer  Dickey  and  John  Lind,  ministers,  and  Silas  E,  Weir, 
elder,  was  deputed  to  sit  in  Lexington  upon  the  case.  Dr.  Mason, 
then  in  the  zenith  of  his  fame,  was  chairman.      Instead  of  stand- 


*  This  sketch  of  Mr.  Rankin's  early  history  so  far  is  derived  from  his  autobiogra- 
phy, prepared,  shortly  before  his  decease,  for  his  friend,  Gen.  Robert  B.  McAfee, 
then  Lieut.  Governor  of  the  State. 

f  Rankin's  Narr.  p.  41. 

t  "  I  then  concluded  I  would  fight  with  none,  neither  great  nor  small,  save  the 
General  Assembly  only."  Ibid.  p.  62. 


96  THE  RANKIN  SCHISM. 

ing  a  trial,  Mr.  Rankin  declined  their  jurisdiction.  The  trial  pro- 
ceeded, notwithstanding,  and  a  final  decision  was  rendered,  Sept. 
17,  1818.  Some  of  the  complaints  lodged  against  the  defendant 
were  dismissed,  as  defective  in  form ;  others,  as  not  substantiated ; 
but  of  the  charge  of  "lying,  and  slandering  his  brethren,"*  he  was 
convicted,  and  sentence  of  suspension  from  the  office  of  the 
ministry  was  pronounced  upon  him.  He  refused  to  respect  the 
decision,  and  he  and  his  congregation  declared  themselves  in- 
dependent.f 

Mr.  Rankin  must  be  acknowledged,  from  his  writings,  to  have 
been  a  man  of  considerable  talent  of  a  certain  kind.  The  most 
favorable  specimen  of  his  powers  is  a  work  entitled,  "Dialogues, 
pleasant  and  interesting,  on  the  government  of  the  Church,"  de- 
signed as  an  answer  to  Dr.  Mason's  "  Plea  for  Catholic  Commu- 
nion." It  is  composed  in  a  more  polished  style  than  his  minor 
tracts,  and  displays  considerable  reading,  humorous  sarcasm,  and, 
occasionally,  acute  reasoning.  But  his  reasoning  is  of  a  loose, 
rambling  character ;  and  the  unity  of  the  discourse  is  continually 
interrupted  by  digressions,  sometimes  tedious,  and  not  always 
pertinent.  His  arguments  are  rather  sophistical  than  solid,  and 
more  adapted  to  silence  than  to  convince.  Regarding  himself  as 
a  second  Luther,  raised  up  of  Heaven  for  a  special  work,  he  in- 
dulged in  a  truly  Lutheran  coarseness  of  expression.  Never  sus- 
pecting the  possibility  of  his  being  wrong  himself,  he  abused  his 
opponents  in  no  measured  terms,  as  weak,  ignorant,  envious  or 
profajie.  They  were  compared  to  swine, J  they  bore  the  mark  of 
the  beast,§  they  were  sacrilegious  robbers,||  hypocrites,!!  deists, 
blasphemers.**  Such  were  the  epithels  he  showered  upon  the 
admirers  of  Dr.  Watts.  Were  we  to  judge  of  him  only  by  his 
publications  and  ecclesiastical  troubles,  we  should  pronounce  him 
ill-tempered  and  morose  ;  yet,  in  private  life,  he  is  said  to  have 
been  the  reverse  ;  and,  in  the  pulpit,  though  tedious,  not  uninter- 
esting. Of  this  the  warm  personal  attachment  of  his  congrega- 
tion may  be  admitted  in  proof.     It  was  only  w4ien  heated  by 


*  The  chief  specification  was  his  representing  the  Rev.  Robert  Bishop,  late 
the  venerable  President  of  Miami  University,  as  having  intrigued  to  introduce 
into  the  Chnrch  an  odions  system  of  tythe-law.  See  the  ""  Judgment  of  the 
Commissioners,"  Rankin's  Second  Process,  p.  21. 

t  Second  Process,  p.  15.         t  Rankin's  Narr.  p.  46.         $  Ibid.  p.  61. 
II  Ibid.  pp.  32,  74.  IT  Ibid.  p.  32.  **  Ibid.  p.  26. 


THE  RANKIN  SCHISiM. 


97 


polemical  zeal,  that  he  became  unamiable  and  censorious.      Psal- 
mody was  his  monomania. 

He  had,  withal,  a  dash  of  enthusiasm  in  his  disposition,  border- 
ing on  fanaticism.  Impressed  with  the  persuasion  that  God  had 
raised  him  up  as  a  special  instrument  to  reinstate  "the  Lord's 
song"  in  its  ancient  honors  in  the  sanctuary,  he  felt  himself  lifted 
above  infirmities,  and  able  to  stem,  single-handed,  the  torrent  of 
opposition.*  He  was  led  by  a  dream  to  leave  his  native  home  ;f 
in  dreams  he  was  instructed  not  to  countenance  human  inven- 
tions ;  J  in  dreams  he  was  warned  to  abstain  from  unhallowed 
assemblies  ;§  by  dreams  he  was  directed  in  all  matters  of  mo- 
ment ;  II  and,  finally,  having  learned  from  a  dream,  or  from  the 
study  of  the  prophecies,  that  the  time  for  rebuilding  the  holy  city 
was  at  hand,  he  took  a  solemn  farewell  of  his  flock,  and  set  off"  on 
a  journey  to  Jerusalem  ;  T[  but  died  on  the  way,  in  Philadelphia, 
Nov.  25,  1827,  at  the  advanced  age  of  seventy-two. 

The  churches  were  torn  and  convulsed  for  years  by  disputes 
on  Psalmody.  When  Mr.  Rankin  seceded  in  1792,  he  carried 
with  him  the  majority  of  his  congregation,  and  retained  posses- 
sion of  the  church  edifice.  The  portion  adhering  to  the  Pres- 
byterian communion  were  compelled  to  erect  a  new  building 
adjoining  the  public  square  ;  and  in  1795,  they  called  the  Rev. 
James  Welch  to  the  pastoral  charge.**  There  was  scarcely  a 
congregation  that  was  not   distracted  by  these  dissensions.ft 

Fundamental  doctrines  and  vital  piety  came  to  be  regarded 
as  subordinate  matters.  Obedience  to  the  will  of  God  was  nar- 
rowed down  to  a  single  point,  and  in  the  shibboleth  of  a  party 
was  wrapped  up  the  faith  once  delivered  to  the  saints.     '•  While 

*  Rankin's  Narr.  p.  52.  f  Ibid.  p.  50.  J  Ibid.  p.  37. 

^  Ibid.  p.  49.  II  Ibid.  pp.  40,  49. 

IT  The  veracity  of  this  tradition  has  been  questioned,  especially  by  some  gen- 
tlemen of  high  respectability  who  were  in  Mr.  R.'s  confidence.  However, the 
fact  must  be  conceded  as  beyond  a  doubt,  when  the  writer  states  the  sources  of 
his  information.  Mr.  Rankin,  on  the  eve  of  his  departure,  gave  this  account  of 
his  intentions  to  two  gentlemen  connected  with  his  family,  (Messrs.  Thomas  Ran- 
kin and  Abraham  T.  Skillman,)  by  whom  it  was  communicated  to  the  author.  Posi- 
tive testimony,  it  must  be  allowed,  always  overbalances  merely  negative  testi- 
mony. 

**  Bishop's  Rice,  App.  No.  VI.     Sketch  of  the  Churches  in  Lexington,  p.  152. 

ff  Ibid.  App.  No.  V.  N., Providence  and  Harrodsburg  Churches,  p.  148.  Ibid. 
App.  No.  XXII.  Paris,  Paint  Lick,  and  Silver  Creek  Churches  suffered. 
Marshall's  MS.  Hist,  of  Bethel  Church,  p.  2.  The  Lexington  Church  suffered 
severely.  In  1808,  at  the  time  of  Mr.  Cunningham's  installation,  there  were 
not  forty  communicants. 


98  THE  RANKIN  SCHISM. 

these  things  were  going  on,"  observes  Mr.  Marshall,  "other  de- 
nominations took  advantage  of  them,  and  gained  ground."*  But 
this  was  not  the  worst  effect.  Infidelity  was  just  beginning  to 
come  in  like  a  flood,  and  the  sacramental  host,  instead  of  rallying 
round  the  standard,  were  wasting  their  energies  in  intestine 
feuds.  Had  the  zeal,  so  lavishly  expended  upon  a  secondary 
point,  been  employed  in  the  defence  and  spread  of  the  cardinal 
doctrines  of  the  Cross,  the  historian  might  have  had  a  more 
pleasing  account  to  narrate  than  will  be  unfolded  in  a  subse- 
quent chapter. 

*  Hist,  of  Bethel,  p.  2. 


CHAPTER    IV 


THE  MISSIONARIES  OF  THE  SYNOD  OF  VIRGINIA. 

The  prospects  of  the  Church,  toward  the  close  of  the  century, 
were  shrouded  in  gloom.  With  the  exception  of  a  pleasing  but 
partial  revival  under  Father  Rice's  labors  about  the  year  1790, 
matters,  instead  of  improving,  rather  grew  worse,  and  religion 
underwent  a  general  decline.  In  view  of  the  languishing  state 
of  the  churches,  and  the  great  increase  of  infidelity  and  vice  of 
every  kind,  the  Presbytery  appointed  a  day  in  October,  1795, 
to  be  observed  as  a  day  of  fasting,  humiliation,  and  prayer.* 

Wayne's  treaty,  in  1794,  having  removed  all  further  appre- 
hension of  Indian  invasions,  the  stations  were  abandoned,  and 
the  settlements  expanded  their  limits.  An  overwhelming  tide 
of  emigration  poured  into  the  country,  outstripping  the  means  of 
grace,  and  fast  receding  from  the  influence  of  religion.  In 
short,  religion  sank  to  a  low  ebb,  and  while  the  means  of 
its  support  and  nurture  were  either  stationary  or  retrograding, 
a  variety  of  causes  combined  to  threaten  its  total  extinction. 

The  first  cause  that  may  be  specified  as  tending  to  produce 
this  lamentable  result,  was  the  long-continued  absence  of  the 
regular  ordinances  of  the  Church,  and  of  its  wholesome  watch 
and  discipline.  The  language  of  Zion,  like  our  mother-tongue, 
is  lost  by  disuse,  and,  with  the  language,  the  sentiments  it  ex- 
presses. A  low  standard  of  religion  and  morality  was  the 
inevitable  result ;  a  process,  alarming  examples  of  which  are 
continually  furnished  to  this  day.  It  is  easier  to  fall  than  to 
rise.     The  posterity  of  Seth  soon  degenerated,  as  well  as  the 


*  Min.  Trans.  Presby.  vol  ii.  p.  81. 


100  THE  MISSIOXAIIIES  OF 

descendants  of  Japhet ;  and  the  next  generation  after  Joshua 
learned  the  way  of  the  heathen. 

Another  cause  of  the  general  declension  was  the  neglect  of 
family  religion  and  of  the  careful  instruction  of  the  young.  As 
a  natural  consequence,  the  youth  grew  uj)  unimbued  with  reli- 
gious principles,  and  unaccustomed  to  moral  restraints.  When 
they  became  the  men  of  the  next  generation,  the  effects  of  this 
early  neglect  were  glaringly  visible. 

The  natural  tendency  of  war  may  be  considered  a  third  cause. 
It  is  always  demoralizing  in  the  extreme.  The  irregular  life  of 
the  backwoodsmen,  now  skirmishing,  now  hunting,  (which  is  an 
image  of  war,)  created  an  irrepressible  passion  for  excitement, 
that  was  very  unfavorable  to  the  progress  of  religion.  While 
the  amiable  traits  of  frankness,  hospitality,  and  generosity,  were 
developed  by  the  constant  necessity  of  mutual  help  and  mutual 
confidence,  piety  languished,  and  Esau,  the  hunter,  despised  the 
birthright  of  the  children  of  God. 

A  fourth  cause,  was  a  universal  cupidity,  stimulated  by  un- 
bounded opportunities  for  its  gratification.  Encouraged  by  the 
prodigal  facilities  of  the  land-ofBces,  and  the  prospect  of  a  ra- 
pidly increasing  population,  speculators  eagerly  invested  their 
capital  in  western  lands,  hoping  to  realize  princely  fortunes  in  an 
incredibly  short  time.  Land-jobbing,  litigation,  feuds,  and  heart- 
burnings, distracted  the  country  for  years,  and  retarded  both  its 
moral  and  physical  improvement. 

The  dissensions  which  prevailed  among  Christians  may  be  set 
down  as  a  fifth,  and  most  fruitful,  cause  of  the  general  declen- 
sion. The  Presbyterian  Churches  were  convulsed  by  a  sharp 
dispute  about  Psalmody,  which  ended  in  a  wide  and  unhappy 
rupture ;  while  the  Baptists  were  similarly  occupied  with 
wranglings  between  Regulars  and  Separates.  Instead  of  hus- 
banding their  resources,  and  presenting  an  unbroken  front,  well 
disciplined,  and  terrible  as  an  army  with  banners,  the  churches 
were  impairing  their  strength  by  intestine  feuds,  and  exposing 
their  weak  points  to  the  contempt  of  their  enemies.  While 
turning  their  arms  against  each  other,  they  had  no  time  for  suc- 
cessful aggressions  upon  the  camp  of  Satan. 

A  sixth  cause,  was  the  introduction  and  spread  of  French  Infi- 
delity. A  natural  feeling  of  friendship  for  France,  once  our 
ally,  and  now  struggling  herself  for  freedom  after  our  example, 


^      THE  SYNOD  OF  VIRGINIA.  IQI 

was  strengthened  by  a  feverish  exasperation  against  England  for 
letting  loose  against  the  Western  frontier  the  horrors  of  the 
tomahawk  and  scalping-knife.  Besides,  many  revolutionary 
officers  had  removed  to  Kentucky :  Scott,  Hardin,  Anderson, 
Croghan,  Shelby,  and  Clark — who  had  fought  side  by  side  with  the 
French  in  the  war  of  177G,  and  who  retained  a  strong  partiality 
in  favor  of  their  former  companions  in  arms.  Public  sentiment  , 
was  strongly  enlisted.  Party  spirit  ran  high.  The  Democratic  ! 
or  Jefiersonian  party  far  outnumbered  every  other,  and  carried 
everything  before  them.  They  completely  extinguished  the  small 
but  respectable  Spanish  party,  and  overwhelmed  them  with 
popular  odium,  as  conspirators  engaged  in  clandestine  negotia- 
tions with  the  Spanish  government  to  cede  the  navigation  of 
the  Mississippi.  Opposed  to  President  Washington's  adminis- 
tration, both  in  its  foreign  and  domestic  policy,  they  had  at  their 
mercy  the  Federalists,  who  upheld  the  government,  but  were 
inferior  in  point  of  numbers.* 

A  Democratic  society  was  organized  in  Philadelphia,  in  imi- 
tation of  the  Jacobin  Club,  and  affiliated  societies  soon  sprang 
up  in  Lexington,!  Georgetown,  and  Paris,  in  1793.  The  char- 
acter of  these  clubs  was  violent  and  dogmatical.  They  warmly 
advocated  an  alliance  with  France,  and  sided  with  Citizen  Genet, 
minister  of  the  French  republic,  in  his  attempts  to  embroil  the 

*  This  was  the  Eera  of  Liberty  Poles  and  Black  Cockades.  The  Federalists, 
to  show  their  aversion  to  the  tricolor,  mounted  a  black  cockade  witli  an  eagle 
button,  wom  on  the  left  side  of  the  hat ;  the  Democrats,  in  their  zeal  for  the 
young  republic,  planted  the  Tree  of  Liberty  at  every  corner,  surmounted  witli 
the  Roman  Cap  of  JManumission. 

t  The  Hon.  John  Breckinridge  was  Chairman  of  the  Lexington  Democratic 
Society,  and  Judge  Todd  and  Thomas  Bodley,  Clerks.  Mr.  Breckinridge  was 
one  of  the  most  distinguished  men  in  Kentucky.  He  was  a  native  of  Virginia ; 
a  cousin,  through  the  Preston  family,  of  the  Hon.  James  and  John  Brown  ;  and 
an  intimate  friend  of  President  JeffeVson,  who,  in  1805,  appointed  him  Attorney- 
General  of  tiie  United  States,  and  a  member  of  the  Cabinet.  It  is  not  unworthy 
of  note  that  in  a  caucus  of  the  party  at  Washington,  in  1804,  he  had  popularity 
enougli  to  command  twenty  votes  for  the  Presidency,  even  when  Mr.  Jefferson 
himself,  the  Corypha;us,  was  a  candidate.  Marshall,  vol.  ii.  p.  364.  Mr. 
Breckinridge's  brilliant  career  was  prematurely  cut  short  in  the  prime  of  life. 
His  children  have  all  occupied  prominent  stations  in  society.  Joseph  Cabell 
Breckinridge,  who  married  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Samuel  Stanhope  Smith,  was 
Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  and,  under  Gov.  Adair,  Secretary  of 
State.  He  was  an  active  and  useful  elder  in  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  car- 
ried his  Bible  with  liim  to  the  courts  of  law.  He  died  early  in  1824.  Letitia 
married  Gen.  Peter  B.  Porter,  Secretary  of  War  under  President  Jackson. 
Those  three  eminent  divines,  Drs.  John,  Robert  and  William  L.  Breckinridge 
have  enjoyed  a  large  share  of  confidence  and  consideration  in  the  Church. 


102  THE  MISSIONARIES  OF 

country  in  a  war  with  Spain,  in  spite  of  the  President's  procla- 
mation of  neutrahty ;  and  they  admitted  to  their  pubhc  and 
private  meetings  his  emissaries,  Depeau  and  La  Chaise,  who 
bore  mihtary  commissions  for  raising  an  army  to  attack  the 
Spanish  possessions  on  the  Mississippi,  and  who  succeeded  in 
enUsting  two  thousand  recruits  for  the  purpose.*  To  enter  into 
poHtical  details  would  be  foreign  from  our  design.  They  are 
only  mentioned  as  they  reflect  light  on  the  popular  feeling  in 
relation  to  religion  ;  for,  unhappily,  the  Frenchf  mania  brought 
about  a  leaning  to  French  infidelity,  of  which  Mr.  Jefferson, 
who  was  idolized  as  a  friend  of  the  West,  a  Virginian,  a  philos- 
opher, and  the  leader  in  securing  religious  liberty  in  the  Old 
Dominion,  was  a  notorious  patron.  J  The  first  demonstration  of 
hostility  to  the  Christian  religion,  was  the  dispensing  with  the 
services  of  a  chaplain  to  the  Legislature,  in  1793,  in  opposition 
to  the  previous  practice. §  Another  decisive  measure,  was  the 
effecting  a  revolution  in  Transylvania  Seminary,  and  placing  at 
its  head  a  disciple  of  Priestley.  This  man,  Harry  Toulmin, 
was,  two  years  afterward,  (1796,)  elevated  by  Gov.  Garrard, 
(himself  an  apostate  Baptist  preacher,)  to  the  office  of  Secretary 
of  State.  Such  was  the  indifference  of  public  sentiment,  that  his 
appointment  to  so  important  a  post  was  witnessed  without  an 
expression  of  displeasure  from  any  quarter. ||  By  the  close  of 
the  century,  a  decided  majority  of  the  people  were  reputed  to 


*  Marshall,  vol.  ii.  p.  109;  and  Self-Defence  against  Butler,  p.  28.  This 
pamphlet  was  suppressed,  but  the  last  copy  was  accidentally  seen  by  the  author 
just  before  its  destruction. 

f  A  striking  illustration  of  this  mania  may  be  traced  in  the  names  given  in 
those  times  to  towns  and  counties — Paris,  Versailles,  Bourbon,  Fayette, — Isaac 
Shelby  was,  at  this  time.  Governor,  and  John  Brown,  a  member  of  the  Demo- 
cratic Society,  Secretary  of  State. 

I  Mr.  Jefferson's  rancor  against  the  Christian  religion  may  be  gathered  from 
the  following  anecdote : — It  is  related  of  him  that  as  he  was  riding  through  his 
native  State  with  a  distinguished  foreigner  (Signor  Mazzei),  his  companion 
expressed  surprise  at  the  dilapidated  state  of  some  of  the  churches  wliich  they 
passed,  and  which  had  been  suffered  to  fall  into  decay  during  the  revolutionary 
war,  when  the  Tory  rectors  fled  to  the  mother  country.  The  reply  which  Mr. 
Jefferson  made  was  characteristic :  "  they  are  good  enough,"  said  he,  "  for  a 
god  that  was  born  in  a  stable  !" 

§  Marshal],  vol.  ii.  p.  130.  A  salutary  change  has  taken  place  of  late  years. 
In  the  year  1843,  the  practice  of  opening  the  daily  session  of  the  Legislature 
with  prayer  was  resumed  ;  and  in  1845,  the  example  was  followed  by  the  Legis- 
latures of  Tennessee  and  Ohio.  In  1844,  for  the  first  time,  the  custom  of  an 
Annual  Day  of  Thanksgiving  was  introduced  by  Gov.  Owsley. 

II  Butler,  p.  262. 


THE  SYNOD  OF  VIRGINIA.  103 

be  infidels  ;  and  as  infidelity  is  the  prolific  parent  of  vice,  it  is 
not  surprising  to  find  that  the  whole  country  was  remarkable 
for  vice  and  dissipation.*  • 

A  melancholy  spectacle  is  presented  to  our  view.  We  be- 
hold Infidelity  and  Vice  combined,  rolling  their  turbid  tide  over 
the  land ;  while  the  Church,  that  should  have  been  busily  erect- 
ing barriers  to  arrest  its  progress,  is  either  benumbed  by  cov- 
etousness,  or  wasting  her  energies  in  frivolous  disputes  ;  like  the 
Oriental  Churches  in  the  seventh  century,  which  were  wrang- 
ling about  Monothelite  subtleties  while  the  Mohammedan  scimi- 
tar was  flashing  over  their  heads ;  upbraided  for  their  degene- 
racy by  the  very  impostor  to  whom  they  fell  an  easy  prey. 

The  elder  clergy  were  few  and  past  their  prime.  They  had 
been  useful  in  gathering  the  people  into  congregations,  and  in- 
troducing the  rudiments  of  church  order  ;  but  the  altered  times 
demanded  a  more  active  kind  of  laborers.  The  most  of  them 
were  not  above  mediocrity ;  nor  was  the  dullness  of  the  axe 
compensated  by  putting  thereto  more  strength.  Accustomed  to  a 
certain  fixed  routine,  they  could  not  move  out  of  it.  They  were 
men  of  some  information,  and  sound  in  the  faith,  but  not  deeply 
imbued  with  the  spirit  of  the  Gospel.f  Coming  from  various 
parts  of  the  older  States, 'they  brought  with  them  the  petty 
prejudices  and  sectional  jealousies  to  which  they  had  been 
habituated ;  and  living  far  apart,  they  had  little  opportunity  of 
becoming  acquainted  with  each  other,  and  acquiring  that  mutual 
confidence  which  would  have  enabled  them  to  act  with  concert 
and  efiiciency.J  They  were  a  stately  and  dignified  set  of  men, 
the  reserve  of  whose  manners  had  the  effect  of  keeping  people 
at  a  distance,  and  checking  familiarity.§  The  formal  and  set 
method  to  which  they  adhered,  was  better  adapted  to  build  up 
believers  than  to  awaken  the  unconverted.  The  sacramental 
meetings,  or  sacraments,  as  they  were  called,  were  held  at  long 
intervals,  when  several  ministers  attended  and  took  part ;  tokens 
were  distributed ;  a  long  Action  Sermon  preached ;  the  tables 

*  Dr.  Baxter,  who  travelled  through  Kentucky  in  1801,  gives  this  as  the  cur- 
rent report  at  the  time.     See  his  Letter,  West.  Miss.  Mag.  vol.  i.  p.  259. 

t  This  was  Mr.  Rice's  description  of  his  fellow-laborers.     Bishop,  p.  69, 

j  Rice's  second  epistle.     Bishop,  p.  381. 

5  One  of  the  secrets  of  Robert  Marshall's  subsequent  popularity,  by  which  he 
won  the  hearts  of  the  frank  backwoodsmen,  was  a  certain  familiarity  of  man- 
ner which  encouraged  every  one  to  approach  him  without  embarrassment. 


104  THE  MISSIONARIES  OF 

duly  fenced ;  a  succession  of  tables  served ;  a  fresh  minister 
assigned  to  each  table,  and  a  fresh  exhortation  to  each  company  ; 
and  fvhen  the  communicants  were  numerous,  (many  coming 
from  a  distance,)  the  services  were  protracted  till  sunset,  and 
became  extremely  tedious  and  fatiguing.  The  approach  of 
young  persons  to  the  communion  was  a  rarity  never  expected. 
It  was  the  general  impression  that  none  but  elderly  persons,  who 
from  their  years  had  acquired  steady  habits  and  were  out  of  the 
way  of  temptation,  should  partake  of  the  ordinance.  As  a  natu- 
ral consequence  the  young  felt  at  ease,  and  gave  themselves  no 
concern  about  religion  ;  and  the  Church,  gaining  no  accessions, 
was  in  a  fair  way  of  becoming  extinct  through  natural  decrease. 
The  younger  clergy  were  generally  well-instructed  and  full 
of  zeal,  and  they  strengthened  the  things  that  remained  and 
were  ready  to  die ;  but  the  sphere  of  their  labors  was  limited, 
and  owing  to  their  recent  arrival  they  had  not  that  standing  and 
influence  which  are  the  product  of  time.  Gary  Allen,  one  of  the 
most  promising,  zealous,  popular,  and  efficient  of  them,  was 
snatched  away  prematurely,  in  1795,  after  only  two  years' labor. 
Mr.  Calhoon  returned  to  Virginia ;  Robert  Marshall  and  James 
Blythe  were  the  only  young  men  left  in  the  field  ;  and  the  latter 
was  hampered  by  his  connection  with  a  literary  institution.  It 
was  not  until  after  1795,  when  infidelity  and  irreligion  had  al- 
ready attained  an  alarming  headway,  that  valuable  reinforce- 
ments arrived  from  Virginia  and  North  Carolina,  and  even  then 
they  required  time,  in  order  to  become  extensively  known  and 
useful. 
-^  Of  the  clergy  who  entered  Kentucky  during  the  last  ten  years 
of  the  century,  several  belonged  to  that  noble  band  of  youths 
whose  hearts  God  had  touched  in  the  blessed  revival  of  1787-88, 
which  commenced  in  Hampden  Sidney  College,  and  extended  to 
Liberty  Hall.  The  Synod  of  Virginia,  finding  so  many  young 
men  burning  with  zeal  to  publish  the  Gospel,  organized  a  Com- 
mittee of  Missions,  whose  duty  it  was  to  assign  fields  of  labor  to  the 
licentiates  as  they  successively  came  forward,  and  to  provide  means 
for  their  support  from  the  voluntary  contributions  of  the  people.* 


*  It  deserves  to  be  noted  that  the  earUest  domestic  missionary  operations  in 
the  West  were  conducted  under  ecclesiastical  supervision,  and  well  conducted 
too ;  notwithstanding  the  boasts  with  which  the  platform  has  resounded  at  the 


THE  SYNOD  OF  VIRGINIA. 


105 


The  missionaries  were  expected  to  spend  two  years  in  this  ser- 
vice under  the  direction  of  the  committee.  Some  of  them  chose 
Kentucky  as  their  ficM  of  labor ;  and  collections  were  made  by 
the  Presbytery  of  Transylvania  in  aid  of  their  support.*  Their 
education,  and  the  training  they  had  received  in  revivals  and 
itinerant  service,  pre-eminently  fitted  them  for  the  responsible 
positions  they  were  called  to  occupy ;  and  as  we  trace  their 
connection  with  the  subsequent  history  of  the  Church,  we  shall 
find  the  integrity  and  purity  of  the  Presbyterian  communion 
preserved,  under  God,  mainly  through  the  vigilance  and  fidelity 
of  these  men.  One  of  the  number  indeed,  strayed  lamentably, 
but  it  was  only  a  temporary  delusion  ;  his  own  naturally  strong 
mind,  and  a  radical  principle  of  piety,  assisted  by  the  affectionate 
expostulations  of  his  brethren,  brought  him  back  again  to  the 
truth.  The  rest  never  wavered  for  an  instant.  They  all  stood 
firm  in  the  perilous  hour,  and  intrepidly  offered  battle  to  the  ad- 
versaries of  the  evangelical  system  ;  and  their  efforts  were 
finally  crowned  with  success. 

There  were  eight  of  these  missionaries  of  the  Synod  who  en- 
tered Kentucky  in  the  following  order,  viz.  Robert  Marshall,  in 
1791  ;  Gary  H.  Allen  and  William  Calhoon,  in  1792;  John  P. 
Campbell  and  Samuel  Rannels,  in  1794;  Robert  Stuart  and 
Robert  Wilson,  in  1798  ;  and  Jolin  Lyle,  in  1800. 

The  Rev.  Robert  Marshall  was  born  in  County  Down,  Ire- 
land, Nov.  27th,  1760  ;  and  in  the  12th  year  of  his  age  accompa- 
nied his  family  to  West  Pennsylvania.  He  was  a  wild  boy,  and 
when  the  revolutionary  war  broke  out,  enlisted  as  a  private 
soldier,  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  m  opposition  to  the  wishes  of  his 
mother.     Contrary  to  what  might  have  been  expected  from  such 


anniversaries  of  the  Home  ^lissionary  Society,  tliat  that  Vohmtary  Association 
was  the  pioneer  in  the  prniscvvortliy  enterprise,  and  that  without  its  exertions, 
the  West  would  not  have  been  sujjplied  with  the  Gospel. 

*  In  Octob'jr,  179Q,  the  Presbytery  of  Transylvania  ordered  collections  to  be 
taken  for  the  support  of  missionaries,  and  appointed  twenty-five  gentlemen  to 
act  as  collectors  in  the  different  conjirepations.  JMin.  vol.  i.  p.  46.  Mr.  William 
Lamme,  (or  I^amb,)  was  appointed  Treasurer ;  and  in  1793,  JNIr.  Andrew 
Mc'Calla.  The  peojde  did  not  at  first  respond  to  the  call  with  alacrity;  collec- 
tions were  taken  in  few  churches,  and  they  were  small  in  amount,  p.  51.  In 
April,  1792,  we  find  the  treasurer  directed  to  pay  over  the  money  in  his  hands  ' 
to  Messrs.  Gary  Allen  and  Robert  Marshall,  missionaries,  sent  by  the  Synod  of 
Virginia,  p.  68.  In  October,  1793,  they  recommended  Mr.  James  Welch,  then 
a  licentiate,  to  be  employed  by  the  Commission  of  Synod,  ji.  99. 


106  THE  MISSIONARIES  OF 

a  beginning,  while  in  the  army  he  never  swore  nor  drank, 
although  drinking  and  profanity  were  common  in  the  camp,  and 
liquor  formed  part  of  the  rations.  When  ^ot  on  duty,  he  retired 
to  his  tent,  and  devoted  himself,  like  Cobbett,  to  the  study  of 
arithmetic  and  mathematics.  He  was  in  six  general  engage- 
ments, one  of  which  was  the  hard-fought  battle  of  Monmouth ; 
where  he  narrowly  escaped  with  his  life,  a  bullet  grazing  his 
locks.  To  the  end  of  his  life,  military  music  had  a  stirring  effect 
upon  his  nerves.  After  the  war  he  joined  the  Seceders,  and  was 
very  self-righteous;  but,  as  he  afterwards  believed,  was  a  stran- 
ger to  a  real  change  of  heart.  It  was  under  a  searching  sermon 
of  that  man  of  God,  Dr.  McMillan,  from  Rom.  ix.  22,  that  he 
who  had  come  to  find  food  for  criticism  and  cavil  in  a  preacher 
of  a  rival  denomination,  felt  that  he  was  one  of  the  "  vessels  of 
wrath  fitted  for  destruction."  His  self-possession  deserted  him, 
his  proud  head  dropped,  and  he  was  thrown  into  a  state  of  the 
deepest  anguish.  He  vainly  besought  some  outward  sign  from 
Heaven  of  his  acceptance,  and  not  receiving  any  fell  into  despair. 
At  length  he  became  sensible  of  the  presumption  of  dictating  to 
God  the  evidences  of  conversion,  and  obtained  a  more  rational 
hope.  This  hope  he  never  afterward  lost,  not  even  in  his  wild- 
est aberrations ;  and  towards  the  close  of  his  life,  it  rose  to  a 
high  degree  of  assurance. 

He  was  now  about  twenty-three  years  old  ;  but,  not  deterred 
by  his  age,  he  resolutely  commenced  preparation  for  the  min- 
istry. His  academical  studies  were  conducted  under  Mr. 
Graham,  at  Liberty  Hall :  his  theological  course  under  Dr. 
McMillan,  something  of  whose  solemn  manner  he  caught.  While 
at  Liberty  Hall  he  maintained  a  consistent  and  exemplary  walk 
among  a  set  of  profane  and  wicked  youths  ;  and,  though  stand- 
ing alone,  commanded  universal  respect.*  After  being  licensed 
by  Redstone  Presbytery,  he  returned  to  Virginia,  and  labored 
in  the  revival  with  great  zeal  and  success.  He  was  remarkable 
for  his  fidelity  in  visiting  and  conversing  upon  religion.  In 
1791  he  removed  with  his  wife  to  Kentucky,  in  the  capacity  of 
a  missionary  of  the  Synod  ;  and  on  the  13th  of  June,  1793,  was 
ordained  pastor  of  Bethel  and  Blue  Springf  Churches.     He 


*  Dr.  Alexander's  Letter,  Prot.  and  Her.  Feb.  29, 1844. 
t  "  McConnel's  Run."  Min.  Trans.  Presb.,  vol.  i.,  p.  8£ 


THE  SYNOD  OF  VIRGINIA.  jQ? 

also  conducted  a  classical  school,  at  which  many  received  their 
education,  who  afterwards  made  a  very  prominent  figure  in  the 
world. 

In  the  great  Revival  of  1800,  Mr.  Marshall  was  one  of  the 
chief  leaders  ;  and,  carried  away  by  the  torrent  of  enthusiasm 
that  swept  over  Kentucky,  and  sincerely  believing  his  more 
sober  brethren  to  be  wrong,  he  joined  with  Stone,  in  1803,  in 
fomenting  the  New  Light  schism.  He  afterwards  saw  his 
error,  and,  in  1811,  returned  to  the  bosom  of  the  Church.  The 
schismatics  were  at  first  called  Marshallites,  but  on  his  defection 
were  known  by  the  name  of  Stoneites,  He  afterwards  used  to 
say  that  he  could  not  ascribe  his  conduct  to  any  other  cause 
than  a  strange  infatuation  ;  and  for  years  never  mounted  the 
pulpit  without  lamenting  his  errors,  and  warning  the  people 
against  similar  delusions.  He  took  an  appointment  under  the 
Assembly's  Standing  Committee  of  Missions,  in  1812,  and  was 
soon  after  reinstated  in  his  old  charge  of  Bethel,  where  he  con- 
tinued till  his  decease  in  1833,  at  the  advanced  age  of  73. 
A  few  months  before  this  event,  his  repose  was  rudely  disturbed 
by  the  Rev.  Frederick  A.  Ross,  who  stigmatized  him  as  "  a 
reclaimed  apostate  ;"  but  he  was  defended  with  great  spirit  by 
his  sons,  the  Rev.  James  and  Samuel  V.  Marshall,  "  who  spoke 
with  his  enemies  in  the  gate."*  He  deemed  it  proper  to  take 
up  the  pen  himself,  and  published  an  acute  and  able  vindication. 
*'  I  have  never  seen  you,"  said  he, "  but  imagine  you  are  young  and 
somewhat  impetuous,  as  I  once  was.  You  had  better  rein  in,  cool 
a  little,  stop,  light  down,  and  patiently  study  the  views  of  the 
Confession  on  faith  and  regeneration.  So  far  as  respects  faith, 
the  writer  of  this  has  run  your  course  before  you.  When  I  first 
saw  your  views,  I  remember  to  have  said, — This  is  the  faith 
I  held  almost  thirty  years  ago.  ...  I  am  now  old — have 
relinquished  the  field  of  controversy  long  ago,  in  which  I  labored 
painfully,  for  some  years,  to  no  profit.  If  you  live  to  my  age 
you  will  probably  say  the  same."t 

As  a  preacher,  Mr.  Marshall  was  clear,  logical,  systematic, 
and  adhered  closely  to  his  text.     He  was  of  a  coarse,  strong 

*  Standard,  March  2,  1832.  Mr.  Ross  had  pubHshed  a  sermon  entitled 
"  Faith  according  to  common  sense,"  which  Mr.  Marshall  pronounced  a 
reproduction  of  the  New  Light  doctrine.     "  Hinc  illai  lachrymae  !" 

t  Standard,  March  23,  1832. 


108  THE  MISSIONARIES  OF 

mind,  rather  of  a  metaphysical  turn  ;  rash  and  impetuous  in  his 
temper.  He  deUghted  in  startling  expressions,  and  the  use  of 
language  adapted  to  rouse  and  impress  an  audience.  His  popu- 
larity as  a  leader  of  the  New  Lights  was  for  a  time  unbounded, 
thousands  on  thousands  hanging  on  his  lips  at  their  camp-meet- 
ings ;  although  considerable  allowance  must  be  made  for  the 
boldness  and  palatableness  of  the  doctrines  promulgated.  His 
constitutional  temperament  predisposed  him  to  an  ascetic  sort 
of  enthusiasm,  and  to  fall  the  prey  of  errors  which  assumed  the 
guise  of  superior  sanctity.  While  we  cannot  deny  him  the 
credit  of  sincerity,  he  was  thus  betrayed  into  harsh  and  denun- 
ciatory language  against  such  as  either  appeared  to  be  deficient 
in  zeal,  or  indulged  in  an  unusuaj  degree  of  cheerfulness. 
Preaching  once  to  believers,  he  said,  "  go  away,  sinners  !  I  have 
nothing  for  you  !"  Being  persuaded  at  another  time  to  try  a 
milder  strain  than  was  his  wont,  he  delivered  a  most  delightful 
comforting  sermon,  suited  to  encourage  the  timid,  and  not 
overwhelm  them.  His  hearers  were  softened  and  enraptured. 
But  at  the  close  of  his  sermon  he  could  not  resist  his  old  pro- 
pensity, and  threw  his  audience  into  a  state  of  panic  by  exclaim- 
ing, in  his  awful  way,  "  And  now,  you  hypocrites,  you  will  be 
snatching  at  the  children's  bread  !" 

The  Rev.  Gary  H.  Allen  was  the  son  of  a  Virginia  planter, 
in  Cumberland  county,*  who  sent  him  to  Hampden  Sidney 
College,  to  be  educated,  where  he  became  one  of  the  early  con- 
verts in  the  revival  of  1786.  He  visited  Kentucky  as  a  mis- 
sionary, in  1792,  and  on  the  11th  of  October,  1794,  he  was 
ordained  pastor  of  Paint  Lick  and  Silver  Creek  Churches.f 


*  The  old  gentleman  appears,  from  his  letters,  to  have  been  a  devotedly  pious 
Christian,  though  an  indifferent  scholar.  In  a  letter  to  James  Fishback,  ilarch 
7th,  1794,  (in  the  possession  of  James  Stonestreet,  Esq.,)  he  referred  to  the  two 
revivals  he  had  passed  through,  with  great  delight ;  and  took  comfort  from  the 
reflection  that  when  the  seed  is  sown  in  the  heart  it  will  not  die.  From  his 
account,  Gary,  who  was  his  favorite  son,  was  in  great  request  at  home,  and  he 
and  the  people  were  very  aver.^e  to  part  with  him.  llis  connections  were  large, 
and  the  people  who  belonged  to  no  church  were  fond  of  hearing  him.  The 
good  old  man  thought  Gary  was  wanted  at  home  "full  as  much  as  at  CatUuck.'" 

f  Min.  Trans.  Presb.,  vol.i.,p.  144.  The  original  Call  is  among  the  filed 
papers  of  the  Presbytery.  It  is  dated  Madison,  April  21st,  1792,  and  is  signed 
by  Thomas  Maxwell,  Samuel  Woods,  Alex.  Mackey,  James  Henderson,  Jolin 
Cochran,  John  Young,  and  Robert  Dickey.  It  pledged  for  his  support,  £150 
in  cash  the  first  year,  and  thereafter  as  they  should  agree.  This  was  equal 
to  $500. 


THE  SYNOD  OF  VIRGINIA. 


109 


His  disposition,  naturally  gay  and  volatile,  was  somewhat 
sobered  after  his  conversion,  but  never  entirely  subdued.  He 
was  a  mirthful,  fun-loving,  pleasant  companion,  and  a  great  wit 
and  satirist.  Sanguine  and  impulsive,  his  sallies  partook  occa- 
sionally of  no  little  eccentricity  ;  yet  he  would  say  the  oddest 
things  and  take  the  boldest  flights  with  such  an  easy  and  natural 
air,  that  no  one  felt  his  sense  of  propriety  shocked.  On  his  way 
to  Kentucky,  he  put  up  for  the  night  at  a  house  where  the  young 
people  of  the  neighborhood  had  assembled  for  a  dance.  The 
handsome  stranger  was  invited  to  join  them,  and  no  denial 
would  be  taken.  At  length  he  suffered  himself  to  be  led  to  the 
floor  and  to  have  a  partner  assigned  him,  when  all  at  once  he 
called  to  the  musician — "  Stop  !  I  am  always  in  the  habit,"  said 
he,  "  when  I  enter  on  any  business  that  I  am  unaccustomed  to, 
first  to  ask  the  blessing  of  God  upon  it.  Now,  as  I  find  myself 
in  new  and  unexpected  circumstances,  I  beg  permission  to 
implore  the  Divine  direction  in  the  matter."  Suiting  the  action 
to  the  word,  he  dropped  on  his  knees,  and  poured  forth  a  prayer 
in  his  characteristic  impassioned  manner  ;  then,  springing  to  his 
feet,  he  followed  the  prayer  with  a  powerful  and  eloquent  exhor- 
tation. Mute  with  astonishment  at  such  an  unlooked-for  inter- 
ruption, the  company  stood  spell-bound.  They  were  enchained 
by  eloquence  such  as  they  had  never  listened  to  before  ;  the 
orator's  burning  words  sank  into  their  souls,  and  found  an  echo 
in  their  consciences  ;  death  and  judgment  flashed  their  terrors 
before  their  eyes  ;  and  they  felt  how  unprepared  they  were  to 
meet  their  God.  Bursting  into  tears,  they  besought  him  to  tell 
them  what  they  must  do  to  be  saved.  He  remained  and 
preached  in  the  neighborhood  a  few  days  ;  and  several  hopeful 
conversions  were  the  happy  result  of  a  measure  which  many 
would  consider  of  questionable  propriety,  and  which,  it  must  be 
admitted,  in  less  skillful  hands,  might  have  proved  a  signal 
failure. 

Another  story  is  told  of  his  stopping  for  the  night  at  a  house 
where  lived  an  old  man  and  his  wife,  who  were  both  professors 
of  religion.  Allen,  with  a  view  to  try  them,  feigned  ignorance 
of  the  Bible  and  religion,  and  wanted  to  know  what  was  meant 
by  such  things.  He  gradually  plied  them  with  deistical  argu- 
ments, till  the  old  man  began  to  waver  ;  but  the  wife  remained 
firm.  When  they  sat  down  to  supper,  the  old  man  hesitated  to 
8 


no  THE  MISSIONARIES  OF 

ask  a  blessing,  as  had  been  his  wont,  when  Allen,  having  carried 
the  joke  far  enough,  asked  a  blessing  himself,  thus  revealing  his 
true  character  to  the  astonished  pair.  While  he  raUied  his  host 
for  succumbing  so  easily,  he  had  to  submit  in  turn  to  a  similar 
rebuke  from  the  good  wife  for  having  practised  a  sort  of  impo- 
sition upon  them. 

Mr.  Allen  was  a  man  of  highly  popular  talents,  impassioned 
eloquence,  and  ardent  zeal.  His  mind  was  not  of  the  most 
robust  and  powerful  order,  but  he  never  failed  to  make  a 
great  impression  wherever  he  went.  The  charm  was  aided  by 
his  prepossessing  appearance,  earnest  manner,  and  melodious 
voice.  His  style  was  not  elevated,  but  extremely  original  and 
forcible.  He  was  very  fluent,  and  by  no  means  fastidious  in  the 
choice  of  epithets  ;  but  though  his  language  might  not  always 
bear  the  test  of  criticism,  it  was  vivid  and  striking.  His  deliv- 
ery was  in  the  highest  degree  natural  and  impressive.  He  once 
recited  the  words  of  a  well-known  hymn,  '•  To  arms  !  to  arms  !*' 
with  such  a  life-like  tone,  that  many  sprang  to  their  feet,  believ- 
ing there  was  an  alarm  of  Indians, — nothing  to  be  wondered  at 
in  those  days  of  insecurity.  In  his  congregations  he  was  very 
successful.  He  was  a  favorite  with  all  classes,  and  even  the 
worldly  listened  to  him  with  interest,  because  in  his  old  father's 
nervous  language,  "  they  had  faith  in  him."  He  kept  the  atten- 
tion of  his  people  so  fixed  on  eternal  things,  that  the  rising 
dispute  about  Psalmody  did  comparatively  little  harm  among 
them.  More  converts  were  added  to  the  Church  than  w^ere 
lost  by  the  schism.  This  interesting  young  man  shone  brightly 
for  the  little  time  Heaven  lent  him  ;  but  after  a  brief  ministry 
of  less  than  two  years,  he  was  carried  off  by  consumption  in  the 
very  flower  of  his  age  and  amid  flattering  prospects  of  useful- 
ness.    He  died  August  5th,  1795.* 

The  Rev.  William  Calhoon  accompanied  Mr.  Allen  as  a  mis- 
sionary to  Kentucky  in  1792,  and  after  laboring  two  years  on  Elk- 
horn,  was  ordained  pastor  of  Ash  Ridge  and  Cherry  Spring,  Feb. 
12, 1795.    In  1797  he  returned  again  to  Virginia,  •end  is  still  living 


*  Mill.  Trans.  Presb.,  vol.  ii.,  p.  62.  In  1823,  the  Presbytery  of  Transylvania, 
finding  that  there  was  no  tombstone  to  mark  his  grave,  and  that  of  Mr.  Vance, 
in  a  burying  ground  near  Danville,  directed  head  and  foot  stones  to  be  set 
up  over  both,  v.ith  appropriate  inscriptions,  at  a  cost  of  $25.00.  Filed  papers  of 
Trans.  Presb. 


THE  SYNOD  OF  VIRGINIA. 


Ill 


at  Staunton.     He  bore  an  excellent  character,  and  his  grave 
and  serious  manner  made  him  very  impressive  in  the  pulpit. 

The  Rev.  John  Poage  Campbell,  M.D.,  unquestionably  the 
most  brilliant  in  this  constellation  of  missionaries,  was  born  in 
Augusta  county,  Virginia,  in  1767  ;*  and  removed  to  Ken- 
tucky with  his  father,  when  fourteen  years  of  age.  His 
genealogy  may  be  traced  back,  on  the  maternal  side,  to  the 
famous  Scottish  divine,  Samuel  Rutherford,  one  of  the  members 
of  the  Westminster  Assembly,  who  was  persecuted  and  impris- 
oned for  his  resistance  to  Episcopacy,  and  who  was  the  author 
of  the  highly  spiritual  work  known  as  Rutherford's  Letters. 
As  he  early  exhibited  evidence  of  genius,  his  father  was  induced, 
though  he  could  ill  afford  it,  to  give  him  a  liberal  education  ;  and 
after  studying  some  time  with  Messrs.  Hamilton  and  McPheeters 
in  Rockbridge,  and  afterwards  with  Mr.  Rankin  in  Lexington, 
Kentucky,  he  became  one  of  Mr.  Rice's  first  pupils  in  Transyl- 
vania Grammar-School.  He  completed  his  studies  with  Mr. 
Archibald  vScott,  in  his  native  county  ;  and,  at  the  age  of  nine- 
teen, conducted  an  academy  himself  in  Williamsburg,  North 
Carolina.  Here  he  unfortunately  imbibed  infidel  opinions,  but 
was  afterwards  converted  by  the  accidental  perusal  of  Soame 
Jenyn's  treatise  on  the  Internal  Evidences  of  Christianity.  This 
led  to  his  renouncing  the  study  of  medicine,  in  which  he  had 
engaged,  to  prepare  for  the  office  of  the  holy  ministry.  He 
graduated  at  Hampden  Sidney  in  1790  ;  and,  after  a  theological 
course  under  Mr.  Graham,  and  a  winter's  reading  with  Dr. 
Moses  Hoge,  of  Shepherdstown,  he  was  licensed  to  preach  in 
May,  1792.  Such  was  the  esteem  in  which  he  was  held,  that 
he  was  at  once  associated  with  his  preceptor,  as  co-pastor  of 
Lexington,  Oxford,  New  Monmouth,  and  Timber  Ridge  con- 
gregations. In  consequence,  however,  of  some  of  those  jealousies 
and  partisanships  which  are  not  uncommon  in  collegiate  charges, 
his  situation  was  rendered  unpleasant,  and  he  generously  retired 
before  matters  came  to  an  open  rupture. 

In  1795  he  took  up  his  abode  in  Kentucky,  and  his  first  charge 


*  He  took  the  name  of  Poage  as  a  memorial  of  a  bosom  friend  and  connection 
by  marriage,  T.  C.  Poage,  who  died  about  the  time  of  his  settlement.  His 
father,  Robert  Campbell,  removed  to  Kentucky  about  1781,  and  settled  first  in 
Lexington,  and  afterwards  in  Mason  county,  where  he  became  an  elder  in 
Smyrna  Church. 


112  •  THE  MISSIONARIES  OF 

was  the  churches  of  Smyrna  and  Flemingsburg,  in  Flemmg 
county.  He  afterwards  exercised  his  ministry  in  various  places, 
among  which  were  Danville,  Nicholasville,  Cherry  Spring, 
Versailles,  Lexington,  and  Chilicothe ;  and  in  the  year  1811  he 
officiated  as  chaplain  to  the  Legislature.  The  support  of  the 
clergy,  never  ample,  was  considerably  curtailed  by  the  New 
Light  schism.  At  one  period  he  was  reduced  to  as  great  straits 
as  his  venerable  predecessor,  Father  Rice,  although  living  in  a 
community  abounding  in  wealth.  The  Rev.  Robert  Stuart, 
inquiring  of  one  of  his  congregation  about  his  welfare,  was 
answered  "  that  they  had  been  keeping  him  on  lent."  Some 
light  may  be  thrown  on  the  nature  of  this  lent,  as  rigorous  and 
long  as  that  of  Rome,  by  the  statement  that  his  family  had  sub- 
sisted for  six  weeks  on  pumpkins,  while  his  wife,  in  his  own 
feeble  state  of  health,  had  to  chop  and  carry  firewood  through 
the  snow  !  The  salary  was  small  and  insufficient.  A  few 
families,  among  whom  the  names  of  Shelby  and  McDowell 
deserve  honorable  mention,  were  kind  and  generous  ;  but  as 
Dr.  Campbell's  pride  kept  him  from  disclosing  his  necessities, 
they  were  often  ignorant  of  the  extent  of  his  wants,  and  sup- 
posed that  others  were  as  considerate  as  themselves.  He  at 
length  found  himself  compelled  to  eke  out  a  scanty  subsistence 
by  taking  up  the  practice  of  medicine.  His  friend,  Mr. 
James  Fishback,  hearing  the  fact  misrepresented,  and  being 
informed  that  Dr.  Campbell  had  abandoned  his  clerical  duties 
and  was  making  himself  conspicuous  on  the  political  arena, 
addressed  him  a  letter  of  expostulation.  To  this  a  frank  and 
manly  vindication  was  promptly  returned,  stating  the  truth,  and 
pleading  the  dire  pressure  of  necessity. 

Dr.  Campbell  possessed  an  acute  and  discriminating  mind. 
He  was  an  accurate  and  well  read  theologian ;  and  excellent  as 
a  polemic,  although,  even  in  the  judgment  of  his  friends,  he 
allowed  himself  to  indulge  in  too  much  asperity.  Quick  to  de- 
tect the  weak  points  of  an  adversary,  and  to  unravel  the  falla- 
cies of  the  sophist,  his  controversial  writings  exerted  a  powerful 
influence  in  their  day.  No  pen  was  so  efficient  as  his  in  the 
hard-fought  struggle  with  the  followers  of  Stone.  The  Pela- 
gianism  of  Craighead  sunk  into  oblivion  at  his  touch.  His 
Review  of  Robinson  and  Answer  to  Jones,  on  the  subject  of 
Baptism,  although  considered  too  learned  for  popular  use,  had  a 


THE  SYNOD  OF  VIRGINIA.  II3 

timely  influence  in  settling  the  minds  of  many.  In  consequence 
of  his  scorching  exposure  of  Robinson,  the  American  edition  was 
expurgated,  but  without  any  signal  to  notify  the  reader  of  the 
alteration.  Dr.  Campbell  was  a  man  of  fine  taste,  and  devoted 
to  Criticism  and  Belles-Lettres.  His  style  was  elaborate  and 
elegant ;  and  he  courted  the  muses  not  without  success.  He 
wrote  verses,  and  played  on  the  flute,  and  one  of  his  published 
discourses  was  on  the  subject  of  Sacred  Music.  A  graceful  and 
energetic  elocution,  and  a  delivery,  not  fluent  but  animated, 
combined  with  solid  matter  and  a  sprightly  style,  gave  him 
great  reputation  in  early  life  as  a  preacher.  His  person  was 
tall  and  slender  ;  and  he  had  a  deep-set,  dark-blue  eye,  which, 
under  strong  excitement,  flashed  like  lightning  from  under  his 
jutting  forehead.  Unhappily,  his  voice,  which  was  never  strong, 
became  quite  broken  by  preaching  to  large  assemblies  of  people 
in  the  open  air  during  the  great  revival,  so  that  it  was  painful  to 
strangers  to  listen  to  it.  In  consequence  of  this  misfortune,  his 
friends,  when  he  visited  the  East  a  few  years  before  his  death 
as  a  commissioner  to  the  General  Assembly,  were  unable  to 
provide  a  suitable  situation  for  him  there,  as  they  ardently  de- 
sired to  do. 

The  opinion  of  the  literary  world  was  very  flattering.  Dr. 
Archibald  Alexander,  who  was  intimate  with  him  during  his 
theological  studies,  pronounced  his  talents  fit  for  any  station. 
Dr.  Dwight,  with  whom  he  became  acquainted  on  a  journey  to 
Connecticut,  in  1812,  spoke  in  the  highest  terms  of  his  intelli- 
gence and  scholarship.  Dr.  Cleland  has  described  him  as 
one  of  the  most  talented,  popular,  and  influential  minis- 
ters in  the  country,  and  pre-eminent  among  the  Kentucky 
clergy.  Nassau  Hall  was  about  to  confer  on  him  the  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Divinity,  when  death  prevented  the  intended  honor. 
His  pen  was  very  prolific.  His  published  writings  were  as  fol- 
lows: — 1.  A  Sermon  on  Sacred  Music,  1797;  2.  The  Passen- 
ger, 1804 ;  3.  Strictures  on  Stone's  Letters  on  the  Atonement, 
1805 ;  4.  Vindex,  or  the  doctrine  of  the  Strictures  vindicated, 
1806;  5.  Essays  on  Justification;  6.  An  Installation  Sermon, 
1809;  7.  Letters  to  Craighead,  1810;  8.  A  Sermon  on  Chris- 
tian Baptism,  1810  ;  9.  The  Pelagian  Detected,  a  reply  to  Craig- 
head, 1811 ;  10.  Letters  to  a  Gentleman  of  the  Bar,  pubUshed  in 
the  Evangelical  Record  for  1812.     These  Letters  were  origi- 


114  THE  MISSIONARIES  OF       -^^ 

nally  written  and  sent  to  the  talented  and  eccentric  Major  Joseph 
H.  Daviess,  who  had  become  captivated  with  the  sceptical 
theory  of  Dr.  Darwin,  which  the  letters  were  designed  to 
expose;  11.  An  Answer  to  Jones,  and  Review  of  Robinson's 
History  of  Baptism,  1812  ;  12.  A  Sermon  preached  at  the  open- 
ing of  the  Synod,  1812  ;  the  subject,  Ministerial  Support. 
This  was  an  able  discourse,  and  boldly  maintained  the  right  of 
them  that  minister  at  the  altar  to  live  of  the  altar.  It  is  a 
touching  reflection,  that  this  sermon  was  drawn  from  him  in 
view  of  the  necessities  with  which  he  had  had  to  struggle,  and  in 
reply  to  spiteful  slanders  insinuated  to  his  prejudice.  He  had  it 
in  contemplation,  furthermore,  to  prepare  such  a  work  as  the 
present,  giving  an  account  of  the  troublous  times  through  which 
the  Presbyterian  Church  had  passed;  but  the  accomplishment  of 
the  design,  to  the  irreparable  loss  of  posterity,  was  defeated 
by  his  death. 

It  is  not  to  be  denied  that  Dr.  Campbell  had  the  infirmities,  as 
well  as  the  shining  gifts,  of  genius.  He  was  of  a  delicate,  nervous 
organization,  and  acutely  sensitive,  and  lay  open,  in  consequence, 
to  the  charge  of  being  irritable,  petulant,  and  w^aspish.  He  was 
deficient  in  that  patience  and  condescension  which  so  eminently 
become  a  pastor.  Dignified  and  reserved  to  strangers,  he  was 
remarkably  pleasant  and  atfable  among  his  intimate  friends,  who 
cherish  his  memory  with  great  aflfection.  Restless  and  aspiring, 
this  gifted  man  was  under  the  frequent  necessity  of  changing  his 
residence,  and  lost  more  than  one  comfortable  situation  where  a 
less  sensitive  person  might  have  remained  for  life.  Too  high- 
minded  to  stoop,  and  too  proud  to  yield  where  his  honor  appeared 
to  be  concerned,  he  remained  poor  all  his  days ;  persecuted  by 
some  who  were  envious  of  his  fame,  and  slighted  by  others  who 
lost  sight  of  all  his  virtues  in  the  contemplation  of  a  single  frailty. 

Dr.  Campbell  was  married  three  times,*  and  on  his  demise 
left  a  family  of  nine  children  behind  him.      His  death  (which 

*  His  first  wife  was  a  Miss  Crawford,  of  Virginia ;  his  second,  a  Miss  Poage, 
of  Kentucky ;  his  third,  a  daughter  of  Col.  James  McDowell,  of  Lexington.  His 
last  wife  survived  him  several  years ;  and  died  in  1838,  in  the  vicinity  of  Mays- 
ville,  under  peculiarly  distressing  circumstances,  just  as  she  was  about  to  re- 
move to  Illinois,  where  most  of  her  children  were  settled.  She  had  become 
totally  deaf  and  quite  infirm  ;  and  being  left  alone  for  a  few  minutes,  her  clothes 
caught  fire.  Her  daughter,  alarmed  by  her  screams,  flew  to  her  rescue,  but  in 
the  attempt  was  burned  herself,  and  both  were  so  badly  injured  as  to  cause  their 
death  in  a  short  time. 


THE  SYNOD  OF  VIRGINIA.  115 

was  caused  by  exposure  while  preaching)  occurred  on  the  4th 
of  November,  1814,  at  the  age  of  fifty-three,  in  the  vicinity  of 
Chilicothe.  To  his  friend,  the  Rev.  W.  L.  McCalla,  he  bore  a 
warm  testimony  to  the  support  and  comfort  he  derived  in  his 
last  hours  from  the  doctrines  of  grace  for  which  he  had  so  earn- 
estly contended. 

The  Rev.  Samuel  Rannels  was  born  in  Hampshire  coun- 
ty, Virginia,  December  10th,  1765.  His  early  opportuni- 
ties were  meagre,  and  he  was  twenty-seven  years  old  when  he 
graduated  at  Dickinson  College,  in  Pennsylvania.  He  was 
licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  Lexington  in  1794,  and  the  next 
spring  visited  Kentucky  as  one  of  the  Synod's  missionaries.  In 
1796,  he  was  ordained  over  the  united  Churches  of  Paris  and 
Stonermouth,  which  charge  he  retained  for  twenty-two  years, 
until  his  death,  March  24th,  1817,  in  the  fifty-second  year  of  his 
age.  His  talents  were  respectable,  his  pulpit  performances  un- 
equal, but  he  was  a  man  of  eminent  piety  and  exemplary  conduct. 
He  was  a  zealous  and  indefatigable  minister,  and  remarkably 
gifted  in  prayer.  On  the  appearance  of  the  irregularities  of 
1802,  he  was  one  of  the  first  to  see  the  speck  upon  the  horizon 
and  to  sound  the  alarm. 

The  Rev.  Robert  Stuart  was  born  in  Rockbridge  county, 
Virginia, in  1772.  He  could,  with  his  kinsman.  Dr.  Campbell,  trace 
his  lineage  back  to  the  Scottish  divine,  Rutherford.  At  seven- 
teen years  of  age  he  became  a  subject  of  the  great  revival, 
being  first  awakened  under  the  preaching  of  Dr.  Alexander  at 
New  Monmouth  Church  ;  graduated  in  due  time  at  Liberty 
Hall ;  and  was  licensed  to  preach  by  the  Lexington  Presbytery 
in  1796.  After  performing  an  arduous  missionary  tour  under 
the  direction  of  the  Synod  among  the  mountains,  from  the  head- 
waters of  James  river  to  the  mouth  of  the  Potomac,  he  chose 
Kentucky  as  the  field  of  his  labors,  and  repaired  thither  in  1798. 
In  December  of  the  same  year  he  was  appointed  Professor  of 
Languages  in  Transylvania  University,  but  resigned  in  the  year 
following  and  established  a  private  grammar-school  in  Wood- 
ford county.  A  considerable  number  of  professional  men,  some 
of  whom  rose  to  eminence  in  political  and  ecclesiastical  life, 
received  their  education  at  his  hands.  During  the  year  1803 
he  preached  to  the  Church  of  Salem;  and  in  1804  took  charge 
of  Walnut  Hill  Church,  about  six  miles  east  of  Lexington,  which 


116  THE  MISSIONARIES  OF 

he  continued  to  retain  for  nearly  forty  years.  In  company  with 
Dr.  Campbell,  as  a  commission  of  the  General  Assembly,  he 
visited  every  Church  in  the  northern  part  of  Kentucky,  after 
the  New  Light  schism  ;  and  upon  the  Cumberland  rupture,  the 
southern,  in  company  with  Father  Rice.  He  was  one  of  the 
Commission  of  Synod  to  examine  into  the  difficulties  of  the  Cum- 
berland Presbytery,  in  1805  ;  and  was  associated  with  Mr.  Lyle, 
in  1809,  to  defend  the  Synod's  proceedings  in  that  matter  before 
the  Assembly,  Great  confidence  has  always  been  reposed  in  his 
prudence  and  discretion. 

After  being  informed  that  as  one  of  the  Synod's  Commission 
in  the  Green  river  country,  Mr.  Stuart  was  named  by  the  oppo- 
site party  "  Moses"  for  his  meekness,  the  reader  will  be  surprised 
to  learn  that  the  first  publication  which  stung  Dr.  Holley  and  his 
friends  to  the  quick  was  from  his  pen.  The  piece  alluded  to 
originally  appeared  in  one  of  the  Lexington  prints,  and  after- 
wards in  McFarland's  Pamphleteer,  over  the  signature  of  "^  Cit- 
ize7i."  The  sketch  of  the  New  Light  schism  in  the  second 
volume  of  the  Evangelical  Record,  (1813,)  was  furnished  by 
him.  In  1837,  he  published  a  series  of  interesting  "Reminis- 
cences respecting  the  establishment  and  progress  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church  in  Kentucky,"  in  the  Western  Presbyterian 
Herald.  To  his  accurate  and  retentive  memory,  and  obliging 
communications,  the  writer  of  these  pages  acknowledges  himself 
largely  indebted.  It  has  been  the  lot  of  this  venerable  father  to 
survive  most  of  those  who  stood  by  his  side  in  the  former  stormy 
conflicts  of  the  Church ;  and  all  who  knew  him  are  ready  to 
re-echo  the  eulogy  of  his  pastor,  the  Rev.  John  Brovni,  who 
described  him  as  "  an  Israelite  indeed,  in  whom  there  was  no 
guile." 

The  Rev.  Robert  Wilson  was  descended  from  ancestors 
whom  persecution  had  driven  from  the  North  of  Ireland  to  West- 
ern Virginia.  He  was  born  in  1772.  After  laboring  for  some 
time  in  Virginia,  he  entered  Kentucky  as  a  missionary  in  1798, 
and  on  the  expiration  of  his  engagement,  married  and  settled  in 
Washington,  four  miles  south  of  Maysville,  where  he  remained 
till  his  death,  October  31st,  1822,  in  the  fiftieth  year  of  his  age. 
He  was  an  amiable  and  estimable  man,  and  characterized 
through  life  by  great  equanimity.  While  his  labors  were  signally 
blessed  among  his  own  flock,  it  was  through  his  unwearied  ex- 


THE  SYNOD  OF  VIRGINIA.  1 17 

ertions  that  the  Churches  of  Augusta  and  Maysville  were  organ- 
ized, and  those  of  Smyrna  and  Flemingsburg  owed  to  him 
their  preservation  when  languishing  without  a  pastor. 

The  Rev.  John  Lyle  was  a  native  of  Rockbridge  county,  in 
the  Valley  of  Virginia.  His  grandfather,  who  had  emigrated 
from  the  North  of  Ireland  before  the  middle  of  the  last  century, 
and  his  father,  were  both  ruling  elders  in  the  Timber  Ridge 
Church.  John  Lyle,  who  was  the  third  of  the  name  in  succes- 
sion, was  born  October  20th,  1769,  and  "born  again,"  (accord- 
ing to  an  entry  in  the  family  Bible,  in  his  own  handwriting,) 
August  17th,  1789,  in  the  great  revival,  when  he  was  nearly 
twenty  years  of  age.  After  his  conversion  he  was  ardently 
desirous  of  studying  for  the  ministry,  but  met  with  no  encourage- 
ment from  his  family.  His  father  was  in  moderate  circumstances, 
from  his  determined  aversion  to  employ  slave-labor,  and  designed 
all  that  he  could  spare  for  the  education  qf  the  elder  son  An- 
drew, who  was  his  favorite,  a  young  man  of  fine  talents  and 
prepossessing  figure.  John,  on  the  contrary,  had  been,  from  his 
birth,  a  feeble  child,  and  had  received,  in  his  infancy,  accidental 
injuries  which  affected  his  appearance  ;  and  being  very  taciturn 
and  reserved,  none  gave  him  credit  for  even  ordinary  intellect. 
His  lengthened  visage,  his  ungainly  form,  and  his  awkward  gait, 
made  him  the  butt  of  ridicule  in  the  family,  the  school,  and  the 
neighborhood.  His  father  could  not  bear  the  idea  of  his  entering 
the  ministry ;  and  never  spoke  of  it  without  bitterness,  as  des- 
tined to  disgrace  the  family  by  a  certain  failure.  He  oflfered  to 
leave  him  his  farm  on  condition  of  renouncing  his  intention :  but 
in  case  of  persistence,  he  refused  to  extend  the  least  aid ;  and 
true  to  his  word,  even  after  the  death  of  his  promising  son  An- 
drew, he  never  gave  him  so  much  as  a  shilling.  John  inherited 
all  his  father's  pertinacity,  and  resolved  to  achieve  his  object  by 
his  own  exertions.  He  taught  a  country  school,  and  thus  pro- 
cured the  means  of  a  liberal  education  at  Liberty  Hall.  While 
in  college,  he  was  much  persecuted  by  the  looser  sort  of  students, 
who  were  addicted  to  gambling,  and  hated  piety  ;  but  his  courage 
and  firmness  at  last  secured  his  peace. 

When  Mr.  Lyle  was  licensed,  in  1795,  his  performances  far 
exceeded  every  one's  expectations,  and  a  more  favorable  esti- 
mate was  thenceforth  entertained  of  his  merits.  After  serving 
as  a  missionary  for  a  year  in  his  native  State,  he  visited  Ken- 


118  THE  MISSIONARIES  OF 

tucky  in  the  same  capacity  in  1797  ;  and  in  1800  took  charge  of 
Salem  Church,  where  he  remained  for  several  years. 

Upon  the  appearance  of  the  bodily  exercises  in  the  beginning 
of  the  present  century,  Mr.  Lyle  was  at  first  at  a  loss  how  to 
regard  them  ;  but  soon  learned  to  discriminate  between  the  work 
of  God  and  animal  excitement,  and  exerted  himself  to  check  the 
excesses.  He  kept  a  diary  during  the  years  1801,  1802,  and 
1803,  in  which  he  carefully  noted  all  the  incidents  that  occurred 
at  the  sacraments  and  camp-meetings  during  that  period.  This 
is  a  truly  invaluable  document,  and,  as  well  as  his  journal, 
when  one  of  the  Synod's  Commission  in  Green  river,  has  been 
extremely  serviceable  m  preparing  the  present  history.  Mr. 
Lyle,  in  consequence  of  his  plain-spoken  fidelity,  became  unpop- 
ular to  a  considerable  extent,  like  others  of  his  brethren.  The 
first  instance  of  disorder  which  fell  under  his  notice  was  on  the 
part  of  two  Methodist  preachers  from  Green  river,  and  poor 
Lyle  was  so  discomposed  that  he  wandered  off  into  the  woods 
to  give  vent  to  his  feelings.  In  his  agitation  he  forgot  entirely 
that  he  had  invited  several  ministerial  brethren  to  dine  with 
him ;  and,  as  he  could  not  be  found,  they  were  obliged  to  sit 
down  to  dinner  without  him.  When  preaching  at  Danville, 
he  was  interrupted  by  sounds  resembling  the  barking  of  a  dog, 
produced  by  two  of  Houston's  deluded  parishioners  whom  he 
had  brought  from  Paint  Lick.  Mr.  Lyle  expressed  his  desire, 
in  very  decided  language,  that  silence  should  prevail  in  the  house 
of  God;  and  proceeded  without  further  interruption  to  conclude 
his  discourse,  which  was  from  the  text,  "  Bodily  exercise  profit- 
eth  little."  Houston  was  very  angry,  and  reproached  him  with 
having  stopped  the  work  of  God.  On  another  occasion,  at 
Paris,  he  preached  a  famous  sermon  from  the  text,  "  Let  all 
things  be  done  decently  and  in  order."  This  discourse  gave 
great  offence  to  some,  while  others  were  delighted ;  and  it  had 
a  powerful  effect  in  checking  the  tendencies  to  disorder.  In 
1805,  he  was  appointed  by  the  Synod  to  ride  two  months  in  the 
bounds  of  the  Cumberland  Presbytery,  and  afterward  to  sit  as 
one  of  the  Commission  on  the  difficulties  of  that  body.  Of  this 
tour  he  kept  a  journal. 

Mr.  Lyle  established  a  female  academy  at  Paris,  which  be- 
came, under  his  hands,  very  flourishing ;  embracing  from  one 
hundred  and  fifty  pupils  to  nearly  double  that  number.    But  about 


,    THE  SYNOD  OF  VIRGINIA.  1J9 

1809,  the  trustees  obstinately  insisted  on  discarding  the  Bible, 
and  all  religious  instruction  ;  and  finding  his  opposition  ineffectu- 
al, he  withdrew.  The  school  immediately  declined,  and  the 
number  dwindled  to  little  more  than  a  score  of  pupils.  He  died 
July  22d,  1825,  aged  fifty-five  years,  thirty  of  which  had  been 
passed  in  the  ministry. 

Mr.  Lyle  was  of  moderate  talents,  not  on  a  par  with  Camp- 
bell, Cameron,  or  even  Mr.  Rice ;  but  his  sound  judgment  and 
his  studious  habits  supplied  the  lack  of  more  showy  qualities. 
He  was  in  the  constant  practice  of  reading  the  New  Testament 
in  the  original.  He  wrote  well-digested  skeletons  of  his  sermons, 
though  he  never  carried  them  into  the  pulpit.  His  matter  was 
sensible,  and  his  manner  feeling  and  earnest ;  but  he  owed 
nothing  to  the  graces  of  elocution.  His  disposition  was  naturally 
amiable,  though  he  had  his  weaknesses,  and  was  occasionally 
betrayed  into  too  passionate  warmth.  But  in  the  pulpit  he  pos- 
sessed, in  an  uncommon  degree,  the  power  of  unlocking  the  founts 
of  feeling,  and  awakening  a  sympathetic  interest  in  the  bosoms 
of  his  auditors.  Even  the  General  Assembly  were  taken  by 
surprise  in  1809,  when  he  defended  the  Synod  in  the  matter  of 
the  Cumberland  Presbyterians.  Bursting  into  tears  he  made  a 
most  impassioned  appeal,  and  the  Assembly  were  so  affected, 
that  their  final  judgment  was  very  different  from  that  to  which 
they  had  at  first  inclined.  His  faithful,  earnest,  and  affectionate 
style  of  preaching  was  very  much  blessed.  On  one  occasion, 
at  Mount  Pleasant,  the  Rev.  William  L.  McCalla  noted  the 
names  of  thirty-three  persons  impressed  by  the  sermon,  thirty- 
one  of  whom  afterward  became  respectable  members  of  the 
Church.  He  had  a  particular  tact  for  benefiting  young  preach- 
ers, whom  he  delighted  to  take  with  him  on  missionary  excur- 
sions, and,  at  times,  his  conversation  would  be  so  heavenly,  and 
his  heart  so  filled  with  the  Spirit  of  God,  that  the  company  felt 
as  if  transported  to  the  apostolic  days. 

Besides  the  eight  Virginia  missionaries,  the  Presbytery  of 
Transylvania  received  large  accessions  from  the  year  1795  un- 
til its  erection  into  a  Synod  in  1802.  Sixteen  licentiates 
were  ordained  to  the  full  work  of  the  Gospel  ministry,  and 
thirteen  clergymen,  who  had  exercised  their  office  elsewhere, 
became  residents  of  the  State.  With  two  or  three  exceptions 
the  majority  were  from  Virginia  or  North  Carolina. 


120  THE  MISSIONARIES  OF 

The  Rev.  Joseph  P.  Howe  came  from  North  Carolina  in 
1794,  and  was  ordained  July  29th,  1795,  over  Little  Moun- 
tain (Mount  Sterling)  and  Springfield.*  He  was  a  good  man, 
and  took  a  conspicuous  part  in  the  Great  Revival.  Although 
he  was  tedious  and  wearisome  as  a  preacher,  he  excelled  in 
exhortation,  and  prayed  and  sang  well.  In  this  way  he  led 
the  meetings  to  great  advantage.  There  is  a  diversity  of 
gifts,  but  the  same  Spirit.  At  his  death,  in  1830,  he  bequeathed 
the  sum  of  two  hundred  and  sixty-seven  dollars  to  Centre  College. 

The  Rev.  James  Welch  was  licensed  July  27th,  1793,  and 
recommended  to  the  Synod  of  Virginia  as  a  missionary.  After 
laboring  for  a  year  in  the  bounds  of  the  Redstone  Presbytery, 
and  declining  a  call  in  Mason  county,  Kentucky,  he  was  or- 
dained pastor  of  the  Lexington  and  Georgetown  Churches,  Feb. 
17th,  1796,  in  which  charge  he  continued  till  1804.  He  was 
obliged  to  practise  medicine  for  the  support  of  his  family.  In 
1799,  he  was  appointed  Professor  of  Ancient  Languages  in 
Transylvania  University,  which  station  he  filled  for  several 
years.f 

The  Rev.  Archibald  Cameron  was  a  native  of  Scotland ; 
but  was  brought  to  this  country  at  an  early  age  by  his  pa- 
rents, who  were  respectable  persons  for  intelligence  and  character, 
of  the  Clan  Cameron.  They  settled  in  Nelson  county,  Ken- 
tucky. Archibald  was  the  youngest  of  six  children.  He  re- 
ceived the  best  education  the  country  could  aflford,  and  was  a 
thorough  mathematician  and  classical  scholar.  At  nineteen  he 
connected  himself  with  the  church  under  Mr.  Templin ;  and 
studied  theology  under  Father  Rice.  He  was  ordained  pastor 
of  Simpson's  Creek,  Bullskin,  and  Achor  congregations,  June  2, 
1796.  In  1803,  he  relinquished  them  to  take  charge  of  the  Shel- 
byville  and  Mulberry  Churches,  with  which  he  continued  till  his 
death,  in  1836.  His  labors  were  spread  over  a  wide  region, 
now  occupied  by  the  congregations  of  Shelbyville,  Mulberry, 
Big  Spring,  Six  Miles,  Shiloh,  and  Olivet,  and  embracing  a  cir- 
cuit of  from  ten  to  fifteen  miles.  But  the  great  body  of  his  people 
were  in  the  habit  of  attending  worship,  whatever  the  distance. 

Mr.  Cameron  was  a  man  of  blunt  and  abrupt  manners,  and 

like  John  Knox,  never  hesitated  to  call  things  by  their  right 
■ — — m 

*  Min.  Trans.  Pby.  vol.  i.  p.  135  ;  ii.  p.  201.     Min.  Syn.  Ky.  vol.  iv.  p.  186. 

t  Min.  Trans.  Pby.  vol.i.  pp.  94,  99,  132;  ii.  pp.72,  86.  Bishop,  p.  152. 


THE  SYNOD  OF  VIRGINIA. 


121 


names.  He  wus  marked  by  a  certain  nobleness  and  independ- 
ence of  thought,  and  scorned  whatever  w^as  mean,  low,  or  in- 
triguing. He  was  of  unbending  orthodoxy,  great  shrewdness, 
and  keen  powers  of  satire.  In  the  ditficulties  and  schisms  which 
the  Church  had  to  encounter,  he  was  always  found  on  the  side 
of  sound  doctrine  and  good  order.  He  was  one  of  the  Commis- 
sion of  Synod  in  the  memorable  affair  of  the  Cumberland  Pres- 
bytery, in  1805.  In  the  Church  courts,  and  with  his  pen,  he 
proved  himself  a  staunch  champion  of  orthodoxy,  and  a  power- 
ful match  for  any  adversary.  In  the  prime  of  life  he  was  distin- 
guished by  a  strong  native  eloquence ;  and  as  a  doctrinal  and 
experimental  preacher,  was  excelled  by  none. 

His  published  writings  are,  1.  The  Faithful  Steward  ;  against 
baptizing  adults  who  do  not  give  evidence  of  faith  and  repent- 
ance, or  the  children  of  such  adults ;  180G,  pp.  53.  2.  The 
Monitor,  on  Church  government,  discipline,  &c. ;  1806,  pp.  109. 
3.  An  Appeal  to  the  Scriptures,  on  the  design  and  extent  of  the 
Atonement;  1811,  pp.  79.  4.  A  Discourse  between  the  Con- 
fession of  Faith  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  a  Preacher  in 
that  society,  who  holds  the  doctrine  of  an  indefinite  or  universal 
atonement;  1814,  pp.  24.  5.  A  Defence  of  the  Doctrines  of 
Grace,  a  series  of  letters  in  reply  to  Judge  Davidge's  "  Advocates 
of  a  Partial  Gospel;"  1816,  pp.  49.  6.  A  Reply  to  some  Arminian 
"Questions  on  Divine  Predestination,"  and  to  a  doggerel  poem, 
"The  Trial  of  Cain;"  1822,  pp.  36.  7.  An  Anonymous  Letter  on 
Fore-ordination,  pp.  12.  8.  Two  pamphlets  addressed  to  the 
Rev.  George  Light,  a  Methodist  minister.  The  lucid  sketch  of 
the  Presbytery  of  Transylvania,  in  1808,  for  the  General  Assem- 
bly's Committee  appointed  to  prepare  a  History  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  was  from  Mr.  Cameron's  pen. 

The  Rev.  William  Robinson  was  from  Buffalo  congregation  in 
Pennsylvania,  and  was  ordained  over  Mount  Pleasant  and  Indian 
Creek  Churches,  August  11th,  1796,  at  a  salary  of  £110.  In 
1802,  he  resigned  his  charge,  and  was  recommended  to  the 
General  Assembly  to  ride  as  a  missionary  north-west  of  the  Ohio 
river.     In  1804,  he  was  dismissed  to  Washington  Presbytery.* 

The  Rev.  Samuel  Finley,  from  Wax  Haw,  in  South  Carolina, 

*Min.  Trans.  Pby.  vol.  ii.  p.  107,  and  Filed  Papers.    Min.  W.  Lex.  Pby. 

vol.  i.  pp.  76,  95. 


122^  THE  MISSIONARIES  OF 

was  licensed  August  1st,  1705,  and  ordained  April  12th,  1797, 
over  the  Church  of  Stanford,  where  he  also  taught  a  school.  In 
1807,  the  connection  was  dissolved.* 

The  Rev.  Matthew  Houston  was  ordained  over  Paint  Lick 
and  Silver  Creek  Churches,  as  the  successor  of  Cary  Allen,  April 
14th,  1797.  In  1802,  the  relation  was  dissolved  by  mutual  con- 
sent, but  he  continued  to  preach  as  a  stated  supply.f  He  after- 
ward became  a  Shaker. 

The  Rev.  John  Dunlavy,  from  Western  Pennsylvania,  was 
ordained  over  Lee's  Creek,  Big  Bracken,  and  North  Bracken, 
Nov.  8th,  1797.  The  last  two  congregations  being  broken  up 
by  frequent  removals,  he  confined  his  attention  to  the  former  in 
1798.  He  finally  settled  as  pastor  of  the  Eagle  Creek  congre- 
gation in  Ohio,  between  Ripley  and  West  Union.  He  also 
became  a  Shaker.J 

The  Rev.  John  Howe  was  received  as  a  candidate,  Oct.  3ci, 
1793,  and  was  called  to  Beaver  Creek  and  Little  Barren,  April 
10th,  1798.  He  is  still  living,  and  has  for  many  years  been  con- 
nected with  the  Church  of  Greensburg.§ 

The  Rev.  Richard  McNemar  was  received  from  West  Penn- 
sylvania as  a  candidate,  in  1795,  at  which  time  he  was  licensed 
to  exhort  publicly,  together  with  Andrew  Steel,  under  the  limi- 
tations of  not  exhorting  oftener  than  once  in  two  weeks,  nor 
without  carefully  digesting  the  matter  of  their  exhortations,  and 
further,  of  not  exceeding  forty  minutes  in  length.  He  was 
ordained  pastor  of  Cabin  Creek,  Aug.  2d,  1798.  He  afterwards 
became  a  leading  New  Light  and  Shaker,  and  is  still  living. || 

The  Rev.  James  Vance,  a  licentiate  from  Winchester  Pres- 
bytery, was  ordained  over  Middletown  and  Pennsylvania  Run, 
Nov.  6th,  1799.  He  also  supplied  the  congregation  at  Louis- 
ville, at  a  later  period. T[ 

The  Rev.  James  Kemper  was  ordained  about  the  year  1795, 
pastor  of  the  Churches  of  Columbia  and  Cincinnati,  which  he 
resigned  the  year  following.** 

The    Rev.   Samuel    B.   Robertson   was  ordained  Oct.   23d, 


*  Min.  Trans.  Pby.  vol  i.  p.  205;  iii.  p.  142. 
t  Min.  Trans.  Pby.  vol.  ii.  p.  146 ;  iii.  p.  45. 

I  Min.  Trans.  Pby.  vol.  ii.  p.  211.         §  Min.  Trans.  Pby.  vol.  ii.  pp.  71, 176. 

II  Min.  Trans.  Pby.  vol.  ii.  pp.  82,  206. 

H  Min.  Trans.  Pby.  vol.  iii.  p.  9 ;  iv.  190.      **  Min.  Trans.  Pby.  vol.  ii.  p.  122. 


THE  SYNOD  OF  VIRGINIA.  123 

1801,  pastor  of  the  congregations  of  Cane  Run  and  New  Provi- 
dence, where  he  continued  to  labor  till  1811,  when  he  removed 
to  Columbia,  in  Adair  county.  He  afterward  took  charge  of 
Lebanon  Church.     He  is  still  living.* 

The  Rev.  John  Bowman,  a  licentiate  from  North  Carolina, 
had  leave  to  itinerate  in  1795  ;  and  it  is  probable  he  was  ordain- 
ed within  two  or  three  years  after.  In  1809,  he  fell  under  sus- 
picion of  heresy  and  schism,  as  a  follower  of  Mr.  Stone,  and  in 
1810  was  suspended  by  the  Presbytery  of  Transylvania,  for 
refusing  to  appear  and  answer  to  the  charge.f 

The  Rev.  John  Thompson  came  from  North  Carolina,  in  1795. 
and  had  liberty  from  the  Presbytery  of  West  Lexington  to 
exhort,  April  17th,  1799.  In  October  following,  he  was  licensed 
to  preach,  and  in  1800  bent  his  steps  to  the  region  north-west  of 
the  Ohio  river.J  In  the  New  Light  schism,  he  went  off  with 
Stone  and  Marshall,  but  like  Marshall,  he  afterward  returned. 
His  cure  was  not,  it  would  seem,  as  radical  as  that  of  his  com- 
peer, for  in  the  late  great  schism  of  1838,  he  went  off  again  with 
the  New  School  party. 

The  Rev.  James  Blythe,  D.D.,  had  been  in  the  field  some 
years  before  any  of  those  whose  ordination  has  just  been  record- 
ed. The  conspicuous  part  he  sustained  in  the  history  of  the 
West,  requires  a  more  detailed  biography.  He  was  born  in 
North  Carolina,  in  1765,  and  received  his  education  at  Hampden 
Sidney  College,  under  President  John  Blair  Smith.  For  a  time, 
he  was  the  only  professor  of  religion  among  the  under-graduates, 
till  the  awakening  of  Cary  Allen  and  his  comrades,  when  his 
room  became  the  rendezvous  for  their  prayer-meetings.  He  was 
licensed  by  Orange  Presbytery,  and  in  the  fall  of  1791  he  visited 
Kentucky,  and  preached  at  Paint  Lick  and  other  places.  July 
25th,  1793,  he  was  ordained  pastor  of  Pisgah  and  Clear  Creek 
Churches ;  but  soon  alter,  yielding  to  the  prejudices  of  the  times, 
resigned  the  charge,  and  for  a  series  of  years,  his  name  is  found 
in  the  minutes  as  being  annually  appointed  a  stated  supply  by 
the  Presbytery.  In  this  loose  connection  he  ministered  to  the 
Pisgah  Church  for  upwards  of  forty  years.§ 

*  Bishop's  Rice,  p.  149.         f  Min.  Trans.  Pby.  vol.  ii.  p.  66 ;  iii.  p.  218. 

tMin.  W.  Lex.  Pby.  vol.  i.  pp.  4,  16.  26. 

5  Min.  W.  L.  Pby.  vol.  ii.  p.  9;  iv.  p.  17,  et  seq.  From  an  early  period,  a. 
prejudice  existed  in  the  West,  and  in  some  places  still  exists,  against  the  formal 
installation  of  pastors.    The  reason  of  this  antipathy  was  two-fold.    The  peo- 


J 24  THE  MISSIONARIES  OF 

When  the  Presbytery  of  Transylvania  were  making  strenuous 
efforts  to  establish  the  Kentucky  Academy,  Dr.  Blythe  and 
Father  Rice  were  sent  as  commissioners  to  the  General  Assem- 
bly, in  1795,  and  to  act  also  as  solicitors  in  the  Eastern  States. 
They  obtained  upwards  of  $10,000,  of  which  amount  President 
Washington  and  Vice-President  Adams  contributed  one  hundred 
dollars  each,  and  Aaron  Burr  fifty.  Dr.  Blythe  was  received 
with  the  greatest  courtesy  by  the  President,  who  spent  some  time 
in  making  inquiries  into  the  state  of  literature  in  Kentucky,  and 
expressed  a  warm  interest  in  the  subject.  When  this  Academy 
was  merged,  in  1798,  in  the  University  of  Ti-ansylvania,  Dr. 
Blythe  was  appointed  Professor  of  Mathematics,  Natural  Philoso- 
phy, Astronomy  and  Geography ;  and  on  the  resignation  of 
Mr.  Moore  subsequently,  fulfilled  for  twelve  or  fifteen  years,  the 
duties  of  Acting  President.  The  salary  of  a  professor  was  then 
five  hundred  dollars.  When  Dr.  Holley  was  elected  President,  in 
1818,  Dr.  Blythe  was  transferred  to  the  Chair  of  Chemistry  in 
the  Medical  Department,  which  situation  he  retained  till  1831, 
when  he  resigned,  and  was  succeeded  by  Dr.  L.  P.  Yandell. 

Meantime,  he  was  associated  for  some  years  as  colleague  with 
Mr.  Welch  in  the  charge  of  the  Lexington  Church,  but  the 
co-pastorship  proved  very  far  from  harmonious,  and  at  one  period 
the  interference  of  the  Presbytery  was  required  for  their  recon- 
cihation.  Dr.  Blythe  took  a  very  decided  stand  in  favor  of 
orthodoxy  and  order  when  the  New  Light  extravagances  made 
their  appearance,  in  consequence  of  which  his  popularity  and 

pie  were  reluctant  to  ecter  into  a  relation  which  could  not  be  dissolved  except 
after  some  delay,  and  at  the  discretion  of  tiie  Presbytery,  such  was  their  love 
of  independence.  In  addition,  they  were  apprehensive  that  whatever  deaths  or 
removals  might  occur  in  a  congregation,  the  remainder,  however  reduced  in  num- 
ber, would  still  be  held  bound  for  the  salary  stipulated  in  the  call.  In  accord- 
ance with  this  feeling,  we  find  Trustees  and  Deacons  required,  in  1796,  to  give 
to  persons  removing  out  of  the  bounds,  a  full  discharge  of  their  obligations  to 
pay  the  minister,  arrears  excepted.  (Min.  Trans.  Pby.  vol.  ii.  p.  87.)  Mr. 
Houston  also  relinquished  his  pastoral  relation  to  Paint  Lick  and  Silver  Creek 
congregations,  for  the  above  reasons,  in  1802,  continuing  to  supply  them  by  a 
mutual  and  private  contract.  (Min.  Trans.  Pby.  vol.  iii.  p.  46.)  So  also  Mr. 
S.  Finley  relinquished  his  pastoral  relation  to  Stanford,  in  1807.  (Min.  Trans. 
Pby.  vol.  iii.  p.  142.)  The  evils  of  this  loose  and  disorderly  connection,  forced 
themselves  on  the  consideration  of  the  Presbytery  of  West  Lexington  in  1807, 
and  led  them  to  express  their  decided  disapprobation  of  the  plan,  and  to  make  it 
a  standing  order  to  enJQin  the  presentation  of  regular  calls.  (Min.  W.  Lex. 
Pby.  vol.  j.  p.  202.)  The  injunction  was  not  universally  obeyed  however. 
Repeated  intimations  are  found  in  the  Presbyterial  Records,  of  the  scanty  and 
ill-paid  salaries  of  the  clergy,  and  urgent  calls  for  amendment. 


THE  SYNOD  OF  VIRGINIA. 


121 


influence  were  impaired  for  a  time,  even  in  his  own  congrega- 
tion. 

He  was  strongly  opposed  to  the  war  of  1812,  in  which  he  lost 
a  promising  son  at  the  massacre  of  the  River  Raisin ;  and,  in 
consequence  of  his  political  opinions,  became  involved  in  an  un- 
pleasant altercation  with  William  L.  McCalla,  then  a  candidate 
for  licensure,  and  a  warm  advocate  of  the  opposite  party.  This 
led  to  his  being  arraigned  by  Mr.  McCalla  at  the  bar  of  his  Pres- 
bytery, on  a  variety  of  charges,  some  of  which  set  forth  that  Dr. 
Blythe  had  threatened  to  oppose  the  licensure  of  such  a  "fire- 
brand," on  account  of  his  political  sentiments  in  regard  to  the 
war,  mobs,  effigy-burning,  and  the  like ;  while  others  accused 
him  of  falsehood,  avarice,  indifference  to  the  welfare  of  the 
Church,  perversion  of  scripture  texts,  pride,  and  other  personal 
sins.*  The  trial  came  on  in  December,  1813,  but  was  inter- 
rupted by  a  curious  circumstance.  The  prosecutor  insisted,  that 
while  each  witness  was  examined,  the  rest  should  withdraw,  ac- 
cording to  the  old  constitutional  rule.  But  as  all  the  standing 
members  of  Presbytery  were  summoned  as  witnesses,  the  en- 
forcement of  the  rule  would  have  left  no  clerical  judges.  To  his 
proposal,  to  except  as  many  as  would  fdrm  a  quorum,  the  defend- 
ant demurred,  on  the  ground  that  he  would  require  their  testimony 
himself.  He  was  willing  that  all  should  be  examined  in  presence 
of  each  other.  The  prosecutor,  however,  being  tenacious  of  the 
point,  the  whole  case  was  referred  to  the  Synod  for  adjudication.! 

At  their  meeting,  in  September,  1814,  the  Synod  took  up  the 
reference,  when  Dr.  Blythe  was  honorably  acquitted.  In  regard 
to  the  allegations  of  pride,  and  harsh  treatment  of  the  prosecutor, 
he  attempted  no  exculpation,  and  made  suitable  acknowledg- 
ments. J 

Anxious  to  promote  the  diffiision  of  Christian  intelligence,  Dr. 
Blythe  commenced,  in  1812,  the  publication  of  a  monthly  period- 
ical, called,  "  The  Evangelical  Record  and  Western  Review," 
which,  however,  did  not  survive  the  second  volume.  It  con- 
tained a  variety  of  interesting  items.§ 

In  November,  1831,  Dr.  Blythe  attended  the  Convention  of 

*  Min.  W.  I^x.  Pby.,  vol.  ii.  pp.  93,  128, 129, 146. 
t  Min.  W.  Lpx.  Pby.,  vol.  ii.  pp.  162,  163. 
i  Mill.  Syn.  Ky.,  vol.  ii.  pp.  74,  85,  S(j. 

§  It  was  printed  by  that  enterprising  publisher,  the  late  lamented  Thomas  T. 
Slallman,  who  was  carried  off  by  the  cholera  in  1833. 
9 


126  THE  MISSIONARIES  OF 

Delegates  from  the  Presbyteries,  which  met  in  Cincinnati,  at  the 
suggestion  of  the  General  Assembly,  on  the  subject  of  Domestic 
Missions,  and  was  chosen  Moderator.  In  1834,  his  name  was 
found  among  the  signers  to  the  memorable  Act  and  Testimony ; 
and  in  1835,  he  was  one  of  the  Standing  Committee  of  the  Con- 
vention called  at  Pittsburgh  by  those  signers,  and  preached  before 
the  Convention  on  the  first  day  of  the  session  at  their  request. 
In  1837,  he  was  again  found  on  the  alert,  watching  over  the 
purity  of  the  Church,  and  attending  the  Convention  of  ministers 
and  elders,  to  deliberate  on  some  plan  of  reform,  which  met  in 
Philadelphia,  on  the  1 1th  of  May  ;  and  of  this  body  he  was  elected 
temporary  chairman,  to  preside  over  its  organization.  In  1832, 
he  was  elected  President  of  South  Hanover  College,  in  Indiana, 
a  manual-labor  institution,  under  the  care  of  the  Synod  of  In- 
diana ;  and  under  his  administration  the  college  rose  at  once  to  a 
high  degree  of  prosperity,  numbering  upwards  of  two  hundred 
students.  This  station  he  held  with  distinguished  ability  for 
several  years ;  giving,  during  part  of  the  time,  gratuitous  in- 
struction in  the  theological  school  in  the  same  place.  Dr. 
Blythe's  last  public  service  was  his  embarking  with  great  en- 
thusiasm in  a  scheme  for  pervading  tfie  whole  country  more  ef- 
fectually with  the  Gospel,  by  inducing  each  minister  to  devote  a 
certain  portion  of  his  time  in  each  year  to  the  supply  of  destitute 
places.  To  this  plan  he  obtained  the  sanction  of  the  Synods  of 
Indiana  and  Kentucky,  and  of  the  General  Assembly  ;  and  where 
it  went  into  operation,  it  was  attended  with  marked  advantage. 
This  venerable  servant  of  Christ  died  in  1842,  aged  seventy-seven 
years.  He  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  all  his  children  em- 
braced in  the  Church,  and  several  sons  and  sons-in-law  in  the 
ministry. 

Dr.  Blythe's  pen  was  not  prolific.     Except  two  or  three  printed 

ermons,  and  the  Evangelical  Record,  he  has  bequeathed  no  per- 
manent memento  of  himself  to  posterity.     As  a  preacher,  he  was 

uU  of  energy  and  animation,  in  his  earlier  career ;  *  in  his  latter 
years  he  yielded  more  to  the  softer  emotions.  The  Family  was 
his  favorite  theme,  and  he  never  grew  weary  of  expatiating  on 


*  An  amusing  illustration  of  this  he  was  fond  of  relating  himself :  After 
preaching  one  night  in  Virginia,  he  overheard  two  men  conversing  about  the 
sermon.  "That  was  thunder  and  lightning,"  said  one.  "Yes,"  replied  the 
other,  "  a  great  deal  of  thunder,  but  very  little  lightning !" 


CAMP-MEETINGS.  139 

upper  part  of  Kentucky,  Messrs.  Houston,  Stone,  and  Marshall, 
were  prominent.  These  men  had  always  inclined  to  a  fervent 
and  exciting  style  of  preaching,  and  their  peculiarities  had  . 
gained  them  great  popularity,  and  a  reputation  for  extraordinary 
zeal.  Houston  was  constitutionally  of  a  warm  and  sanguine 
temperament ;  Marshall  was  a  bold  and  stern  enthusiast ;  Stone 
differed  from  both  in  a  cooler  sagacity,  an  appearance  of  tender 
feelings,  and  a  bland,  insinuating  address  ;  all  were  well  calcu- 
lated to  be  leaders,  as  they  equally  loved  influence  and  the 
stimulus  of  thronged  assemblies.  It  is  not  wonderful  therefore 
that,  aided  by  the  enthusiasm  of  the.  times,  they  succeeded  in 
stealing  away  the  hearts  of  the  people,  ever  captivated  by  great 
appearances  of  devotion.  To  men  so  predisposed,  the  camp- 
meetings  presented  precisely  such  a  theatre  of  operation  as 
they  desired,   and  we   find  everything,    accordingly,    in  their 

hands.  > 

While  these  three  individuals  were  thus  warmly  falling  in 
with  the  popular  current,  the  other  clergy,  though  greatly 
amazed,  were  never  thrown  completely  oflf  their  guard.  Old 
Father  Rice,  Blythe,  Stuart,  Lyle,  and  Campbell,  were  never  to 
be  reckoned  among  the  advocates  of  disorder.  At  first,  indeed, 
they  were  filled  with  unfeigned  surprise  and  wonder  ;  and  if  we 
may  judge  of  their  feelings  by  the  opening  pages  of  Lyle's 
Diary,  they  might  be  compared  to  the  pious  Jews  who  saw  the 
paralytic  healed  by  a  word,  and  "  were  amazed  and  glorified 
God,  saying,  we  never  saw  it  on  this  fashion."  They  were 
taken  by  surprise,  but,  far  from  cavilling,  they  hoped  that  this 
sudden  and  extensive  religious  movement  would  prove  of  a  solid 
and  salutary  character.  Even  the  spasmodic  convulsions,  the 
falling  down,  and  sudden  convictions,  they  regarded  with  inter- 
est. These  good  men  had  long  mourned  the  deep  declension 
of  the  Church,  and  had  trembled  at  the  triumphant  ascendency 
of  Deism,  rabid  and  intolerant,  and  they  almost  hoped  that — 
inasmuch  as  the  days  of  miracles  were  past,  yet  nothing  short 
of  a  miracle  could  save  religion, — Providence  was  pleased  to 
permit  these  strange  spectacles  in  lieu  of  miracles,  to  arrest 
attention,  and  thus  gain  access  for  the  power  of  truth.  In  the 
truth  alone  they  placed  their  final  dependence,  as  the  means  of 
conversion.  Nothing,  in  their  view,  could  supersede  evangelical 
truth,  though  other  things  might  prepare  the  way  for  its  recep- 
tion. 


140  THE  REVIVAL  OF  1800. 

The  Presbyterian  clergy,  as  a  body,  are  not  to  be  held  an 
swerable  for  the  extravagant  irregularities  and  enthusiastic  fan- 
tasies which  deformed  the  Great  Revival.  As  a  body,  they 
neither  originated  nor  countenanced  them ;  and  their  influence 
and  popularity  were  in  some  instances  almost  prostrated  in  con- 
sequence. Even  those  few  who  madly  seized  the  reins,  and 
figured  afterwards  conspicuously  as  leaders  in  the  disorders  of 
the  time,  were  not  the  originators  of  those  disorganizing  measures, 
but  only  adopted  the  work  of  other  hands.  The  parentage  must 
be  laid  at  another  door. 

It  is  to  the  Methodists  these  measures  are  to  be  traced.  Their 
own  avowals  are  our  authority  for  the  statement — avowals  made 
with  so  much  self-complacency,  that  we  must  be  exonerated  from 
all  suspicion  of  using  the  language  of  reproach.  It  is  a  well- 
known  characteristic  of  that  sect,  to  exalt  zeal  above  knowledge, 
while  they  object  to  the  Presbyterians  a  tendency  to  the  reverse. 
Whatever  changes  have  of  late  years  taken  place  for  the  better, 
they  were  totally  unknown  at  the  period,  and  in  the  region,  of 
which  we  write.  Then,  boisterous  emotion,  loud  ejaculations, 
shouting,  sobbing,  leaping,  falling  and  swooning,  were  in  vogue, 
and  were  regarded  as  the  true  criteria  of  heartfelt  religion. 

Early  admitted  to  take  part  in  the  rheetings  of  the  Presby- 
terians, it  was  not  long  before  the  contagion  of  their  wild  en- 
thusiasm completely  outgrew  the  control  of  the  clergy ;  and  the 
people,  borne  upon  the  swelling  waves  of  a  tumultuous  excite- 
ment, were  satisfied  with  no  other  than  the  most  stimulating 
preaching.  Of  this,  the  fact  mentioned  by  Mr.  Lyle,  that  the 
crowd  would  desert  the  preacher  as  soon  as  it  was  whispered 
that  things  were  "more  lively"  at  some  other  point,  is  a  forcible 
illustration. 

It  was  at  one  of  Mr.  McGready's  sacraments  that  the  Method- 
ist influence  first  took  the  lead,  as  has  already  been  described, 
when  the  Methodist,  John  McGee,  overcome  by  his  feelings, 
broke  in  upon  the  usual  orderly  customs  of  the  Presbyterians, 
and  urged  the  excited  congregation  to  shout. 

But  while  the  Methodists  thus  boldly  claim  the  credit  of  the 
work,  it  is  not  unworthy  of  notice  that  Mr.  McGready  makes  no 
mention  of  this  incident  in  his  account,  exhibiting,  in  his  silence, 
perhaps,  a  degree  of  spiritual  ambition  of  which  the  good  man 
was  not  conscious.     After  the  general  meetings  had  become 


CAMP-MEETINGS.  14| 

popular,  the  Methodists  were  freely  admitted,  and  the  same^ 
scenes  of  tumultuous  enthusiasm  were  habitually  repeated,  Mr. 
Lyle,  indeed,  mentions  an  instance  when  they  were  discouraged, 
and  stood  aloof;*  but  such  cases  were  rare  exceptions.  It  ap- 
pears evident  that  they  soon  obtained  the  predominance,  and  from 
assistants  became  leaders.  They  succeeded  in  introducing  their 
own  stirring  hymns,  familiarly,  though  incorrectly,  entitled  "  Wes- 
ley's Hymns ; "  and  as  books  were  scarce,  the  few  that  were  at- 
tainable were  cut  up,  and  the  leaves  distributed,  so  that  all  in 
turn  might  learn  them  by  heart.  By  those  who  have  ever  re- 
flected how  great  are  the  effects  of  music,  and  how  probable  it  is 
that  the  ballads  of  a  nation  exert  more  influence  than  their  laws, 
this  will  be  acknowledged  to  have  been  of  itself  a  potent  engine 
to  give  predominance  to  the  Methodists,  and  to  disseminate  their 
peculiar  sentiments.  That  this  was  the  ultimate  eflfect,  we  are 
told  by  the  writer  already  cited.f 

*  Lyle,  p.  87.  f  Gospel  Herald,  vol.  ii.  p.  §20, 


10 


CHAPTER    VI. 


EXTKAVAGANCES  AND  DISORDERS  ATTENDING  THE  REVIVAL. 

The  reign  of  enthusiasm  having  fairly  commenced,  its  progress 
was,  very  naturally,  marked  by  a  variety  of  evils  and  extrava- 
gances, which  tended  to  the  injury  of  the  revival,  and  the  disgrace 
of  religion.  Among  these  may  be  enumerated :  An  undue  ex- 
citement of  Animal  Feeling ;  disorderly  proceedings  in  Public 
Worship;  too  free  communication  of  the  Sexes;  the  promulgation 
of  Doctrinal  Errors  ;  and  the  engendering  of  Spiritual  Pride  and 
Censoriousness. 

I.  The  undue  excitement  of  Animal  Feeling. — The  extra- 
vagances witnessed  under  this  head  were  of  the  most  extraor- 
dinary nature,  and  open  a  new  chapter  in  the  history  of  the  human 
mind.  As  they  will  be  found  to  merit  the  attention  both  of  the 
Psychologist  and  the  Physician,  it  will  be  proper  to  give  a  full 
account  of  the  phenomena,  with  such  facts  and  statements  as  may 
serve  to  explain  the  cause  and  mode  of  their  occurrence. 

These  phenomena  constituted  a  species  of  that  "bodily  exer- 
cise" which,  in  the  judgment  of  the  great  apostle,  was  of  such 
little  profit,  but,  in  the  superior  days  of  New  Light,  was  exalted 
into  an  unequivocal  token  of  the  Spirit's  influence,  if  not  an  indis- 
pensable evidence  of  grace.  The  Bodily  Exercises  were  familiarly 
known  at  the  time,  and  since,  by  significant  names,  and  may  be 
classified  as  follows,  viz: 

1.  The  jPa^/m^  Exercise,         4.  The  jRwwun^g- Exercise, 

2.  The  Jerking  Exercise,         5.  The  Dancing  Exercise, 

3.  The  Rolling  Exercise,         6.  The  Barking  Exercise, 

7.    Visions  and  Trances. 


THE  SYNOD  OF  VIRGINIA.  J27 

the  quiet  attractions  of  the  domestic  circle.  It  was  from  his  ox -n 
well-managed  and  happy  household  he  derived  his  inspiration. 
Although  neither  a  profound  nor  highly-accomplished  scholar, 
his  native  strength  of  character,  prompt  decision,  and  practical 
turn,  enabled  him  to  acquit  himself  creditably  in  every  situation. 
But  it  was  in  deliberative  bodies,  and  the  courts  of  the  Church, 
that  these  qualities  gave  him  a  marked  ascendency,  to  which  his 
portly  figure,  commanding  appearance,  bushy  eyebrows,  and 
magisterial  manner,  contributed  not  a  little.  His  name  ap- 
pears the  twenty-eighth  in  order,  in  1816,  in  the  list  of 
Moderators  of  the  General  Assembly. 

In  the  year  179G,  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Craighead,  McGee  and 
Stone,  from  North  Carolina — all  of  whom  will  receive  a  fuller 
notice  in  a  fitter  place — the  Rev.  William  Maiion,  from  Vir- 
ginia, and  the  Rev.  Isaac  Tull,  from  the  Presbytery  of  Lewis- 
town,  were  received  as  members  of  Transylvania  Presbytery. 

Mr.  Mahon  took  charge  of  New  Providence  Church,  but  was 
brought  before  the  Presbytery,  in  1798,  on  charges  of  cruelty  to 
a  female  slave,  and  of  factious  proceedings  in  the  congregation, 
and  was  admonished  to  maintain  a  stricter  guard  over  his  temper. 
The  people  being  dissatisfied  with  him,  the  connection  was  dis- 
solved by  Presbytery,  on  the  5th  of  October,  of  the  same  year. 
He  was  finally  deposed  for  drunkenness  in  1804.  He  applied 
in  1812  to  be  restored;  but  the  Presbytery  not  being  satisfied  of 
his  reformation  refused  his  request.* 

Mr.  Tull  was  received  April  12th,  1796,  and  for  two  years 
had  charge  of  Green  Creek  and  Pleasant  Point.  He  was  a  good 
but  weak  man  ;  punctual  and  steady,  but  an  indifferent  preacher. 
Domestic  difliculties  attracted  the  notice  of  Presbytery,  and  a 
slanderous  accusation  was  laid  against  him  ;  but  on  investigation 
he  was  exonerated  from  blame.     He  died  in  Cincinnati,  in  1812.| 

The  Rev.  Robert  Finley,  originally  from  South  Carolina, 
was  received  from  Redstone  Presbytery,  Feb.  20th,  1792,  with 
a  high  character,  which  he  soon  contrived  to  forfeit.  Rumors 
of  habitual  inebriety  coming  to  the  ears  of  the  Presbytery,  they 
insisted  on  a  trial.  He  was  pertinacious  for  an  investigation  by 
a  committee,  and  renouncing  their  jurisdiction,  he  was  suspended 


*  Min.  Trans.  Pby.,  vol.  ii.  pp.  108,  198;  iii.  p.  103;  iv.  p.  18. 
jMin.  Trans.  Pby.  vol.  ii.  pp.  92,  223. 


128  THE  MISSIONARIES  OF 

in  1795.  He  made  concessions,  and  was  restored,  but  again 
proving  contumacious,  was  again  suspended,  and  continuing 
nevertlieless  to  preach,  was  finally  deposed,  October  6th,  1796.* 
The  Rev.  John  Evans  Finley,  from  Newcastle  Presbytery, 
was  received  Feb.  11th,  1795  ;t  the  Rev.  Peter  Wilson,  from 
Abingdon  Presbytery,  in  1797; J  the  Rev.  William  Speer,  from 
Carlisle  Presbytery,  in  1798,  who  settled  in  New  Hope,  (Chili- 
cothe  ;)§  the  Rev.  James  Balch,  from  Abingdon,  in  1799  ;|1  the 
Rev.  William  Hodge,  who  was  settled  over  Shiloh  ;^  the  Rev. 
John  Rankin,  who  was  settled  over  Gasper;**  the  Rev,  Samuel 
McAdow,  who  was  also  settled  in  the  Cumberland  region  ;tt  all 
from  North  Carolina,  in  1800  ;  the  Rev.  Samuel  Donnell,  from 
West  Pennsylvania,JJ  in  1801  ;  and  in  1802§§  the  Rev.  Jeremiah 
Abell,  from  the  Methodist  society,  afterwards  suspended  for  a 
breach  of  the  seventh  commandment. 

The  growth  of  Transylvania  Presbytery,  and  the  extent  of 
ground  it  covered,  necessarily  called  for  its  entire  remodelling. 
Accordingly,  March  27th,  1799,  with  the  consent  of  the  Synod 
of  Virginia,  it  was  broken  up  into  three  Presbyteries,  and  its 
twenty-six  members  distributed  as  follows.  Transylvania 
Presbytery,  bounded  north-east  by  the  Kentucky  river,  north 
and  north-west  by  the  Ohio  river,  on  the  south  comprehending 
all  the  settlements  on  Cumberland  river  and  its  tributaries,  com- 
prised ten  ministers,  viz :  Messrs.  Rice,  Craighead,  Templin, 
McGready,  Cameron,  Samuel  Finley,  Houston,  McGee,  and  John 
Howe. 

West  Lexington,  so  called  to  distinguish  it  from  Lexington 
in  Virginia,  bounded  south  and  south-west  by  the  Kentucky  river, 
north  and  north-west  by  the  Ohio  river,  north  and  north-east  by 
the  Main  Licking  river,  consisted  of  nine  ministers,  viz  :  Messrs. 
Crawford,  Shannon,  Tull,  Marshall,  Blythe,  Joseph  P.  Howe, 
Welch,  Rannels,  and  Robinson. 

Washington  comprised  the  remaining  part  of  Kentucky,  lying 


*  Min.  Tmns.  Pby.  vol.  i.  pp.  60,  174,  207 ;  ii.  p.  81. 

t  Min.  Trans.  Pby.  vol.  i.  p.  154.         t  Min.  Tnins.  Pby.  vol.  ii.  p.  1P5. 

5  Min.  Trans.  Pby.  vol.  ii.  p.  178.         11  Min.  Trans.  Pbv.  vol.  ii.  pp.  5,  IS. 

ir  Smith's  Hist,  of  Cumb.  Presb.  Ch.  p.  667. 

•"■Min.  Tran?.  Pby.  vol.  iii.  p.  11. 

fj-  Smith,  p.  673.         tl  Min.  Trans.  Pby.  vol.  iii.  p.  28. 

§§  Min.  Trans.  Pby.  vol.  iii.  p.  66. 


THE  SYNOD  OF  VIRGINIA.  129 

north-east  of  Main  Licking,  and  the  settlements  on  the  north- 
west side  of  the  Ohio  river,  and  consisted  of  seven  ministers,  viz  : 
Messrs.  Peter  Wilson,  Kemper,  Campbell,  John  E.  Finley,  Si)eer, 
Dunlavy,  and  McNemar. 

Before  parting,  it  was  strongly  recommended  that  the  delegates 
to  the  approaching  Assembly  from  the  new  Presbyteries  should 
be  instructed  to  pray  for  their  erection  into  a  Synod.  The 
Presbyteries  met  in  the  month  following  ;  Transylvania  at  Cane 
Run,  on  Tuesday,  April  9th,  and  was  opened  with  a  sermon  from 
Mr.  Rice,  who  was  immediately  after  chosen  Moderator,  and 
Mr.  Cameron,  Clerk.  West  Lexington  met  at  Lexington,  on 
Tuesday,  April  IGth,  and  was  opened  with  a  sermon  from  Mr. 
Crawford,  who  was  elected  Moderator,  and  Mr.  Welch,  Clerk. 
Washington  met  on  Tuesday,  April  9th,  at  Johnson  Fork  Meet- 
ing-House,  and  was  opened  with  a  sermon  from  Mr.  Wilson.* 
The  desire  to  be  constituted  into  a  separate  Synod  was  not 
gratified  until  the  year  1802,  at  which  time  the  roll  contained 
thirty-seven  names.  Thus  it  appears,  that  in  sixteen  years  from 
the  arrival  of  the  first  clergyman  in  the  field,  the  number  had 
increased  to  twenty-six,  distributed  into  three  Presbyteries  ;  and 
in  nineteen  years  from  that  time,  they  were  formed  into  a  Synod, 
consisting  of  thirty-seven  members.  If  we  add  to  these,  Messrs. 
Allen,  M'Clure,  Rankin,  Speer,  and  Robert  Finley,  together  with 
several  licentiates,  we  will  find  that  about  fifty  Presbyterian 
preachers  had  had  an  opportunity  of  preaching  the  gospel  in 
Kentucky  within  the  last-mentioned  space  of  time. 

Had  they  all  been  men  of  marked  ability,  devoted  piety,  and 
unblemished  reputation,  the  salutary  influence  they  might  have 
exerted  in  moulding  the  character  and  institutions  of  the  grow- 
ing West  would  have  been  incalculable.  Unhappily,  with  two 
or  three  shining  exceptions,  the  majority  were  men  of  barely 
respectable  talents,  and  a  few  hardly  above  mediocrity  ;  and  so 
far  from  being  patterns  of  flaming  zeal  and  apostolic  devotion 
a  dull  formality  seems  to  have  been  their  general  characteristic. 
That  Father  Rice  had  no  very  exalted  opinion  of  his  early 
fellow-laborers,  is  evident  from  the  description  he  has  given  of 
them,  in  his  autobiography,  as  men  of  sound  principles  and  some 


*  Min.  Trans.  Pby.  vol.  ii.  pp.  229,  231,  252 ;  iii.  p.  1.     Min.  W.  Lex.  Pby. 
voL  i.  pp.  1,  5. 


130  THE  VIRGINIA  MISSIONARIES. 

information,  but  deficient  in  the  spirit  of  the  Gospel.*  That  this 
picture  is  not  overcharged,  must  appear  from  the  melancholy 
fact,  gathered  from  an  inspection  of  the  records,  that  nearly  half 
the  entire  number  of  preachers  were,  at  one  time  or  other,  sub- 
jected to  church  censures  more  or  less  severe ;  several  being 
cut  off  for  heresy  or  schism,  two  deposed  for  intemperance,  one 
suspended  for  licentiousness,  several  rebuked  for  wrangling,  and 
others  for  other  improprieties  unbecoming  the  gravity  or  dig- 
nity of  the  clerical  character.  While,  therefore,  one  half  of  the 
number  were  godly  and  irreproachable,  and  some  few  fitted  to 
adorn  their  profession  in  any  age  or  country,  it  must  be  admitted 
that  there  was  a  portion  whose  influence  was  deleterious  where 
it  was  not  inefficient.  This  is  a  development  fraught  with 
solemn  instruction,  warning  the  Church  that  instead  of  sending 
to  new  and  promising  settlements  her  weakest  men,  as  if  any- 
thing were  good  enough  for  such  stations,  it  would  be  far  wiser 
to  send  the  most  efficient  laborers,  picked  men,  who  would  leave 
the  impress  of  their  own  commanding  virtues  upon  succeeding 
generations. 

A  more  fatal  mistake  can  scarcely  be  committed,  than  to  sup- 
pose that  a  mere  handful  of  half-educated,  feeble-minded  mis- 
sionaries will  do  for  the  West.  That  shrewd  and  independent 
race  require,  on  the  contrary,  men  whose  well-trained  intellect, 
common  sense,  ready  resources,  and  commanding  influence,  can 
inspire  respect.  It  were  well  to  note  the  wiser  policy  of  the 
Hebrew  Commonwealth.  While  only  seventeen  hundred  Levites 
were  retained  among  the  denser  settlements  of  the  bulk  of  the 
tribes  in  the  heart  of  Palestine,  not  less  than  twenty-seven  hun- 
dred were  distributed  among  the  two  and  a  half  tribes  scattered 
through  the  remote  frontier  region  on  the  farther  side  of  Jordan. 
The  frontiers,  instead  of  being  neglected  on  account  of  their  re- 
moteness, are  the  very  quarters  which  should  be  the  most 
sedulously  guarded,  and  receive  a  double  share  of  supervision 
and  attention.  The  men  needed  to  occupy  posts  of  such  diffi- 
culty and  danger,  should  be  men  of  might,  like  David's  captains 
in  the  hold  in  the  wilderness,  "  Men  of  war  fit  for  the  battle,  that 
can  handle  shield  and  buckler,  whose  faces  are  like  the  faces  of 
lions,  and  as  swift  as  the  roes  upon  the  mountains." 

*  Bishop's  Rice,  p.  69. 


CHAPTER    V. 


THE  REVIVAL  OF  ISOO- CAMP-MEETINGS. 

On  the  eve  of  the  nineteenth  century,  notwithstandmg  thelf^ 
increase  of  ministers  and  churches,  the  prospect  was  sufficiently 
gloomy  to  appall  both  the  Christian  and  the  patriot,  through  the 
operation  of  the  causes  already  enumerated.  The  population  of 
the  State  advanced  with  incredible  rapidity,  and  soon  outstripped 
the  supply  of  the  means  of  grace.  Worldly-mindedness,  infidel- 
ity, and  dissipation  threatened  to  deluge  the  land,  and  sweep 
away  all  vestiges  of  piety  and  morality.  The  rising  generation 
were  growing  up  in  almost  universal  ignorance  of  religious 
obligation.  The  elder  church-members  were  gradually  dying 
off,  and  were  replaced  by  no  recruits  from  the  ranks  of  the 
young.  Except  a  little  Goshen  here  and  there,  the  shadow  of 
night  was  gathering  over  the  land.  At  this  juncture,  when  hope 
was  ready  to  expire,  an  unlooked-for  and  astonishing  change 
suddenly  took  place.  This  event  was  the  Great  Revival  of 
1800,  so  called  from  its  wide  extent  and  influence ;  and  which, 
after  all  necessary  allowances  for  the  disorders  which  deformed 
it,  was,  beyond  controversy,  attended  with  signal  benefits. 

This  extraordinary  excitement  is  styled  the  Revival  of  1800, 
because  its  most  remarkable  development  occurred  during  that 
year.  A  preparatory  work,  however,  had  been  going  on  for 
some  time  previous.  The  zealous  labors  of  the  Virginia  mis- 
sionaries, and  others  of  the  younger  clergy,  were  not  without 
some  effect,  and  there  was  yet  a  remnant  in  the  land,  that  had 
neither  bowed  the  knee  to  Mammon  nor  Thomas  Paine.  Besides 
these  scattered  and  limited  instances,  an  unusual  attention  to 
relifjion  had  been  awakened  in  the  south-western  section  of  the 


132  THE  REVIVAL  OF  1800. 

State,  in  what  was  known  as  the  Green  river  country,  and  the 
Cumberland  settlements,  a  year  or  two  previous. 

This  excitement  commenced  in  the  Gasper  river  congrega- 
tion, and  extended  thence  to  the  congregations  of  Muddy  and 
Red  rivers,  in  Logan  county  ;*  all,  at  that  time,  under  the  pas- 
toral charge  of  Rev.  James  McGready.  Mr.  McGready  was 
one  of  the  Sons  of  Thunder,  a  Boanerges  both  in  manner  and 
matter,  and  an  uncompromising  reprover  of  sin  in  every  shape. 
The  curses  of  the  law  lost  none  of  their  severity  in  falling  from 
his  lips ;  and,  like  Mirabeau,  the  fierceness  of  his  invectives 
derived  additional  terror  from  the  hideousness  of  his  visage  and 
the  thunder  of  his  tones.  He  had  left  a  congregation  in  Orange 
county,  North  Carolina,  but  a  few  months  previous,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  odium  which  his  unsparing  censures  had  drawn 
upon  him  from  the  ungodly.  Some  of  his  former  hearers  having 
removed  to  Kentucky,  and  forwarded  him  an  invitation  to  be- 
come their  pastor,  he  resolved  to  accept  the  call  ;  and  accord- 
ingly arrived  in  the  fall  of  1796,  being  now  about  thirty-three 
years  of  age,  and  full  of  fiery  zeal.  It  was  not  long  until  the 
effect  of  his  impassioned  preaching  M^as  visible.  Regeneration, 
faith,  and  repentance  were  his  favorite  topics  ;  and  an  anxious 
and  general  concern  was  awakened  among  his  hearers  on  the 
subject  of  experimental  religion.  That  information  was  much 
needed  on  this  point,  we  may  gather  from  the  character  of  the 
inquiries  frequently  made  of  him  by  his  flock,  such  as,  "  Is  Re- 
ligion a  sensible  thing  ?"  "  If  I  were  converted  would  I  feel  it, 
and  know  it?"  During  the  summer  of  1797,  and  that  of  '98, 
there  was  considerable  solicitude  evinced  in  these  congrega- 
tions, but  it  soon  subsided,  and  was  succeeded  by  as  great  an 
apathy.  In  the  last  instance,  Mr.  McGready  ascribed  the 
change  to  the  active  and  discouraging  opposition  of  the  Rev. 


*  The  region  lying  south  of  Green  river,  and  thence  called  the  Green  river 
couninj,  though  since  divided  into  several  counties,  was  then  all  comprehended 
in  Logan  county. — See  Benedict,  vol.  ii.  p.  244.  Of  this  region  Russellville  was 
the  heart  and  capital,  and  many  distinguished  individuals  commenced  their  career 
there;  Governors  Edwards,  R.  Crittenden,  Breathitt,  James  T.  Morehead, 
McLean,  and  Call ;  John  J.  Crittenden,  Attorney  General  of  the  U.  S. ;  Chief 
Justice  Bibb,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  of  the  U.  S.  ;  Chief  Justice  Ewing, 
Col.  A.  Butler,  S.  P.  Sharp,  Charles  Morehead,  Frank  Johnson,  Joseph  Fickhn, 
Judge  Davis,  Major-general  Boyle,  Surgeon-general  McReynolds,  United  States 
Army,  &-c. 


GAMP-MEETIXGS.  I33 

James  Balch,  who  was  then  visiting  the  neighborhood,  and  who 
turned  the  whole  into  ridicule.*  — ^ 

Among  the  means  adopted  by  this  zealous  pastor  to  stimulate 
his  flock,  was  a  written  covenant,  binding  all  who  appended 
their  signatures,  to  observe  a  Monthly  Fast,  a  Twilight  concert  of 
prayer  J  and  a  Sunrise  concert.  The  twilight  concert  has  been 
often  renewed  in  late  years  in  the  West,  and  has  been  a  very 
popular  measure  in  seasons  of  revival. f 

The  summer  of  1799  witnessed  a  renewal  of  the  excitement, 
W'hich  did  not,  how^ever,  partake  of  the  transient  character  of 
ihe  preceding  years,  but  continued  to  grow  and  deepen  until  it 
reached  its  height,  in  1800  and  1801.  In  the  w^ords  of  Mr. 
McGready,  it  exceeded  everything  his  eyes  had  ever  beheld 
upon  earth,  and  to  which  all  that  had  preceded  was  but  an  intro- 
duction, as  a  few  drops  before  a  mighty  rain.  J  Its  first  mani- 
festation occurred  during  a  sacramental  occasion  at  Red  river, 
in  July,  which  was  attended  by  Mr.  McGready,  Mr.  Rankin, 
Mr.  Hodge,  and  William  McGee,  Presbyterian  preachers,  and 
John  McGee,  brother  of  the  last-named  gentleman,  who  was  a 
Methodist  preacher.  The  public  services  were  animated,  and 
tears  flowed  freely  ;  but  nothing  special  was  noticed  until  Mon- 
day. While  Mr.  Hodge  was  preaching,  a  woman,  at  the  ex- 
treme end  of  the  house,  unable  to  repress  the  violence  of  her 
emotions,  gave  vent  to  them  in  loud  cries.  During  the  intermis- 
sion which  succeeded  the  services,  the  people  showed  no  dispo- 
sition to  leave  their  seats,  but  wept  in  silence  all  over  the  house. 

Such  was  the  state  of  things  when  John  McGee,  the  Method- 
ist, rose  in  his  turn  to  speak.  Too  much  agitated  to  preach, 
he  expressed  his  belief  that  there  was  a  greater  than  he  preach- 
ing ;  and  exhorted  the  people  to  let  the  Lord  God  omnipotent 
reign  in  their  hearts,  and  to  submit  to  him,  and  their  souls  should 
live.  Upon  this,  many  broke  silence,  and  the  renewed  vocifera- 
tions of  the  female  before  mentioned  were  tremendous.  The 
Methodist  preacher,  whose  feelings  were  now  wrought  up  to 
the  highest  pitch,  after  a  brief  debate  in  his  own  mind,  came  to 
the  conclusion  that  it  was  his  duty  to  disregard  the  usual  orderly 

*  McGready's  Narr.  of  Revival  of  1800.      Posth.  works,  pp.  7,  8.     Smith's 
Hist,  of  Cumb.  Prosb.  pp.  564,  567. 
t  Smith's  Hist.  Cumb.  Presb.  p.  565. 
X  McGready's  Narr.  Works,  p.  11. 


134  THE  REVIVAL  OF  ISOO. 

habits  of  the  denomination,  and  passed  along  the  aisle,  shouting 
and  exhorting  vehemently.  The  clamor  and  confusion  were  in- 
creased tenfold  ;  the  flame  was  blown  to  its  height,  screams  for 
mercy  were  mingled  with  shouts  of  ecstacy,  and  a  universal 
agitation  pervaded  the  whole  multitude  ;  who  were  bowed  be- 
fore it  as  a  field  of  grain  waves  before  the  wind.  Now  followed 
J.     prayer  and  exhortation  ;  and  the  ministers  found  their  strength 

/\    soon  taxed  to  the  utmost  to  keep  pace  with  the  demands  of  this 

^  intense  excitement.* 

[J^  From  this  time  such  crowds  flocked  to  the  sacraments,  as 
these  occasions  were  called,  that  sufficient  accommodations  could 
not  be  procured  for  them,  the  neighborhood  being  sparsely  set- 
tled. They  therefore  came  in  wagons,  loaded  with  provisions, 
and  fitted  up  for  temporary  lodging.  Such  was  the  origin  of 
Camp-Meetings  ;  an  expedient  which  owed  its  birth  to  necessity, 
although  much  abused  in  after  times,  and  of  late  fallen  into  great 
disrepute. 
— /*  The  first  regular  Camp-Meeting  was  held  in  the  vicinity  of 
Gasper  river  Church,  in  July,  1800.  Mr.  McGready  had  taken 
great  pains  to  circulate  the  information,  previous  to  the  time 
appointed,  that  he  expected  the  people  to  come  prepared  to  en- 
camp on  the  ground ;  and  the  whole  country,  and  ministers  espe- 
cially, were  earnestly  invited  to  attend  and  witness  the  wonder- 
ful scene  that  was  anticipated.!  Impelled  by  curiosity,  a  great 
concourse  assembled,  from  distances  of  40,  50,  and  100  miles. 
A  regular  encampment  was  formed.  Some  occupied  tents, 
while  others  slept  in  covered  wagons.  The  whole  were  so  ar- 
ranged as  to  form  a  hollow  square  ;  the  interior  of  which  was 
fitted  up  for  public  worship.  Near  the  centre  was  the  stand,  a 
rude  platform  or  temporary  pulpit,  constructed  of  logs,  and  sur- 
mounted by  a  handrail.  The  body  of  the  area  was  occupied  by 
parallel  rows  of  roughly  hewn  logs,  designed  as  seats  for  the 
audience. 

The   meeting  lasted  four  days,  from   Friday  until  Tuesday 
morning.   The  leading  ministers  present,  were  Messrs.  McGrea- 


*  John  McGee's  Letter  to  Mr.  Doiiglass.  Methodist  Episcopal  Herald,  vol. 
ii.  p.  148.  It  is  observable  that  while  the  Methodists  give  some  prominence  to 
this  man  in  the  work,  and  they  are  borne  out  by  his  own  statement,  Mr. 
McGready  does  not  so  much  as  mention  his  name. 

f  Smith's  Hist.  Cumb.  Presb.  p.  673. 


CAMP-MEETINGS.  135 

dy,  William  McGee,  pastor  of  Beech  Church,  and  Hodge,  pastor 
of  Shiloh  ;  both  the  last-mentioned  from  the  Cumberland  settle- 
ments. 

Nothing  occurred  worthy  of  note  until  Saturday  evening, 
when  a  casual  conversation  of  two  pious  females  attracted  the 
attention  of  the  bystanders,  and  the  fervor  of  their  enthusiasm 
was  communicated,  by  a  rapid  sympathy,  through  the  whole 
multitude.  The  camp  resounded  with  sobs  and  cries  ;  and  the 
ministers  spent  the  night  in  passing  from  one  group  to  another, 
who  were  penetrated  with  pungent  convictions  of  sin,  and  anx- 
ious to  obtain  relief.  The  interest,  once  awakened,  grew  more 
and  more  powerful,  till,  at  the  close  of  the  meeting,  forty-five 
individuals  were  numbered  as  hopeful  converts.  It  deserves  to 
be  noticed  that,  at  a  subsequent  period,  these  persons  afford- 
ed every  evidence,  by  their  conduct,  of  genuine  conversion.* 
Among  them,  also,  were   some   little  children,  who  expressed 

themselves  in  a  manner  so  rational,  and  withal  so  heavenly,  that ^ 

Mr.  McGready  declares  he  was  filled  with  astonishment.f      "y 

Mr.  Hodcre,  to^jether  with  numbers  from  the  Cumberland  set- 
tlements,  being  present  on  this  occasion,  it  is  not  surprising  that 
through  their  means  a  similar  excitement  should  agitate  that 
region.  The  revival  soon  spread  over  the  country,  as  far  as 
Nashville  and  Knoxville.J  <-::_ 

During  the    year    1800,   ten    sacraments  were  held  in    the 
Green  river  and  Cumberland  river  settlements,  all  more  or  less 
partaking  of  the  character  of  those  already  described  ;  the  re- 
sult of  which  was,  that  three  hundred  and  forty  converts  were  ^ 
added  to  the  churches.§ 

This  may  be  as  proper  a  place  as  any  to  remark,  that  it  was  -■> 
but  a  part  of  the  Presbyterian  clergy  of  the  lower  settlements 
that  were  engaged  in  the  measures  already  described.  These 
were  but  five  in  number,  Messrs.  McGready,  Hodge,  McGee, 
McAdow,  and  Rankin.  All  the  rest  of  their  brethren  disap- 
proved and  discountenanced  the  work  from  its  commencement, 
as  spurious. II 

Camp-meetings  being  once  introduced,  the  plan  spread  like 
wildfire.     One  after  another  was  held  in  rapid  succession.    The 


*  Smith's  Hist.  Cumb.  Presb.  p.  695.  f  McGready's  Works,  p.  10. 

\  Smith,  p.  576.  \  McGready,  p.  11.  ||  Smith,  p.  580. 


138  THE  REVIVAL  OF  1800. 

woods  and  paths  seemed  alive  with  people,  and  the  number  re- 
ported as  attending  is  almost  incredible.  The  laborer  quitted 
his  task  ;  Age  snatched  his  crutch  ;  Youth  forgot  his  pastime  ; 
the  plough  was  left  in  the  furrow  ;  the  deer  enjoyed  a  respite 
upon  the  mountains  ;  business  of  all  kinds  was  suspended ; 
dwelling-houses  were  deserted ;  whole  neighborhoods  were 
emptied  ;  bold  hunters  and  sober  matrons,  young  men,  maidens, 
and  little  children,  flocked  to  the  common  centre  of  attraction  ; 
every  difficulty  was  surmounted,  every  risk  ventured,  to  be  pre- 
sent at  the  camp-meeting. 

The  new  device  was  speedily  adopted  in  the  region  south  of 
Kentucky,  then  called  the  Cumberland  Settlements,  now  Tfija- 
_nessee. ;  but  this  was  not  destined  to  be  the  limit  of  its  triumph- 
ant progress.  Early  in  the  following  year  it  was  introduced 
into  the  middle,  or  northern  sections  of  this  State,  and  was  car- 
ried thence  across  the  Ohio  into  the  North-western  Territory  ; 
while  on  the  other  hand,  it  reached  the  South,  and  extended 
into  both  the  Carolinas,  through  the  agency  of  some  persons  go- 
ing thither  from  Kentucky.* 

The  appellation  "  General  Camp-Meetings,'*  now  came  into 
use,  owing  to  the  following  cause  :  The  Methodists  early  took 
part  in  the  Green  river  revival  with  the  Presbyterians,  and  the 
connection  gradually  grew  more  intimate.  They  united  in  all 
the  camp-meetings,  and  before  long  gave  a  decided  tone  to  the 
measures  and  doctrinal  views  brought  forward  on  those  occa- 
sions. Hence,  although  each  denomination  sometimes  operated 
apart,  the  customary  method  was  to  hold  their  meetings  con- 
jointly, under  the  name  of  General  Camp-Meetings  ;  by  which 
it  was  signified  that  all  Christian  denominations,  i7i  general,  were 
at  liberty  to  participate,  whether  Methodists,  Baptists,  or  Pres- 
byterians.f 

When  these  meetings  were  introduced  into  the  upper  part  of 
Kentucky,  they  were  held  in  rapid  succession — almost  semi- 
monthly. Between  May  and  August,  1801,  no  less  than  six 
were  held,  varying  in  continuance  from  four  days  to  a  week  ; 
viz.    at  Cabin  Creek,  Concord,J  Pleasant  Point,  Indian  Creek, 

*  McNemar's  Hist,  of  the  Kentucky  Revival,  p.  26.  Ramsay's  History  of 
South  Carohna. 

f  Gosp.  Herald  [Methodist],  vol.  ii.  p.  170. 

i  At  the  meeting  at  Concord,  where  4,000  people  were  on  the  ground, 
McNemar  states  that  seven  Presbyterian  ministers  were  present,  four  of  whom 


CAMP-MEETINGS. 


137 


and  Cane  Ridge,  in  Kentucky,  and  at  Eagle  Creek,  Adams 
county,  Ohio.  The  scenes  witnessed  on  these  occasions  differed 
little  from  each  other,  or  from  those  already  described  on  Green 
river.  The  preaching  was  pungent,  and  the  people  violently 
agitated.  Children  of  ten  and  twelve  years  were  frequently 
prominent  actors.  The  spectacle  of  persons  falling  down  in  ;i. 
paroxysm  of  feeling,  first  exhibited  at  Gasper  river  Church, 
in  August,  1799,*  became  now  so  common  as  to  receive  a  distinct 
title,  and  to  be  known  as  the  Falling  Exercise.-\ 

But  as  the  General  Camp-Meeting  at  Cane  Ridge,  which 
began  on  the  6th  of  August,J  1801,  and  lasted  a  week,  was  the 
most  noted,  as  well  for  the  wonderful  transactions  witnessed,  as 
for  the  incredible  number  present,  a  particular  description  of  it 
shall  be  given. 

Cane  Ridge  was  a  beautiful  spot,  in  the  vicinity  of  a  countrv 
church  of  the  same  name  then  under  the  pastoral  care  of  Mr. 
Stone,  in  the  county  of  Bourbon,  about  seven  miles  from  Paris  ; 
it  was  finely  shaded  and  watered,  and  admirably  adapted  to  the 
purpose  of  an  encampment.  A  great  central  area  was  cleared 
and  levelled,  200  or  300  yards  in  length,  with  the  preachers' 
stand  at  one  end,  and  a  spacious  tent,  capable  of  containing  a 
large  assembly,  and  designed  as  a  shelter  from  heat  or  rain. 
The  adjoining  ground  was  laid  ofl;'  in  regular  streets,  along  which 
the  tents  were  pitched,  while  the  church  building  was  appropri- 
ated for  the  preachers'  lodge.  The  concourse  in  attendance 
was  prodigious,  being  computed  by  a  revolutionary  officer,  who 
was  accustomed  to  estimate  encampments,  to  amount  to  not  less 
than  20,000  souls.     Mr.  Lyle  says  that,  according  to  the  calcu- 


spoke  against  the  work  until  the  fourth  day,  when  they  withdrew  their  opposi- 
tion, and  acknowledged  it  to  be  a  genuine  work  of  God.  Of  course,  after  that, 
the  whole  seven  concurred  in  expressing  their  approbation.  This  statement  is 
undoubtedly  to  b)  taken  with  some  (jualification,  as  at  no  time  could  seven  of 
the  Presbyterian  clergy  be  foimd  in  the  northern  counties  who  were  cordial 
advocates  of  all  the  cxtravaganpes  of  the  time.  We  must  be  pardoned  if  we 
hesitate  to  vouch  for  the  credibility  of  a  writer  who  is  .so  much  under  the  influ- 
ence of  an  enthusiastic  imagination,  as  to  pen,  after  the  above  statistics,  the 
following  miraculous  story  :  "  On  this  occasion,  no  sex  or  color,  class  or  de- 
scription, were  exempted  from  the  pervading  influence  of  the  Spirit ;  even  from 
the  age  oi  eight  movlha  (!)  to  sixty  years,  there  were  evident  subjects  of  thi.s 
marvellous  oj)LTation."     McNcmar,  p.  24. 

*  McGready's  Narr.  Works,  p.  x.     Smith,  p.  569. 

f  McNemar,  pp.  23-26. 

I  Dr.  Cleland  says  it  was  June.     Sec  letter  in  Bibl.  Rep.,  vol.  vi.  p.  340. 


138  THE  REVIVAL  OF  1800. 

lation   of  one   of  the  elders,  there  were  1,100  communicants 
present.     Others  said  800.* 

Here  were  collected  all  the  elements  calculated  to  affect  the 
imagination.  The  spectacle  presented  at  night  was  one  of  the 
wildest  grandeur.  The  glare  of  the  blazing  camp-fires  falling 
on  a  dense  assemblage  of  heads  simultaneously  bowed  in  adora- 
tion, and  reflected  back  from  long  ranges  of  tents  upon  every 
side  ;  hundreds  of  candles  and  lamps  suspended  among  the  trees, 
together  with  numerous  torches  flashing  to  and  fro,  throwing 
an  uncertain  light  upon  the  tremulous  foliage,  and  giving  an 
appearance  of  dim  and  indefinite  extent  to  the  depth  of  the 
forest ;  the  solemn  chanting  of  hymns  swelling  and  falling  on  the 
night  wind  ;  the  impassioned  exhortations  ;  the  earnest  prayers  ; 
the  sobs,  shrieks,  or  shouts,  bursting  from  persons  under  intense 
agitation  of  mind  ;  the  sudden  spasms  which  seized  upon  scores, 
and  unexpectedly  dashed  them  to  the  ground  ; — all  conspired  to 
invest  the  scene  with  terrific  interest,  and  to  work  up  the  feelings 
to  the  highest  pitch  of  excitement. 

-)  When  we  add  to  this,  the  lateness  of  the  hour  to  which  the 
exercises  were  protracted,  sometimes  till  2  in  the  morning,  or 
longer  ; — the  eagerness  of  curiosity,  stimulated  for  so  long  a  time 
previous  ; — the  reverent  enthusiasm  which  ascribed  the  strange 
contortions  witnessed  to  the  mysterious  agency  of  God  ; — the 
fervent  and  sanguine  temper  of  some  of  the  preachers  ; — and, 
lastly,  the  boiling  zeal  of  the  Methodists,  who  could  not  refrain 
from  shouting  aloud  during  sermon,  and  shaking  hands  all  round 
afterwards,  in  what  Mr.  Lyle  calls  "  a  singing  ecstacy,"t  and 
who  did  everything  in  their  power  to  heap  fuel  on  the  fire  ; — 
take  all  this  into  consideration,  and  it  will  abate  our  surprise 
very  much  when  informed  that  the  number  of  persons  who  fell 
was  computed  by  the  Rev.  James  Crawford,  who  endeavored 
to  keep  an  accurate  account,  at  the  astonishing  number  of  about 
3,000  !J 

Among  the  zealous  advocates  of  the  new  measures  in  the 


*  Some  pains-taking  persons  counted  143  carriages  and  wagons,  500  covered 
sleigiis  or  sledges,  and  500  without  covers,  making  in  all  1,143  vehicles  ;  and 
500  candles,  beside  lamps,  used  to  illuminate  the  camp  at  night.  Gosp.  Her., 
vol.  ii.,  p.  200.     Lyle's  Diary,  p.  25. 

f  Lyle's  Diary. 

I  McNemar,  p.  26. 


EXTRAVAGANCES  OF  THE  REVIVAL.  I43 

1.  The  Falling  Exercise. — The  earliest  instances  of  the  Fall- 
ing Exercise  occurred,  as  before  stated,  in  one  of  Mr.  McGready's 
congregations,  in  the  Green  river  country,  whence  it  was  rapidly 
propagated  through  Tennessee,  Upper  Kentucky,  and  even  as  far 
as  the  Carolinas. 

After  exhortations  of  a  stimulating  and  rousing  character,  es- 
pecially if  tender  and  pathetic,  calculated  to  enlist  deeply  the  feel- 
ings ;  or  during  spirited  and  lively  singing,*  and  when  the  body 
was  exhausted  by  copious  weeping  ;f  one  and  another  in  the  au- 
dience, sometimes  to  the  number  of  scores,  would  suddenly  fall 
prostrate  on  the  ground,  and  swoon  away.  No  sex  or  age  was 
exempt ;  the  young  and  the  old,  men  as  well  as  women,  fell ;  even 
large,  robust  young  men,  of  the  age  of  twenty  ;  J  and,  one  day  at 
Cane  Ridge  Camp-Meeting,  it  was  remarked  that  nearly  all  who 
fell  were  men.§ 

Some  fell  suddenly,  as  if  struck  with  lightning,]]  while  others 
were  seized  with  a  universal  tremor  the  moment  before,  and  fell 
shrieking. Tf  Piercing  shrieks  were  uttered  by  many  during  the 
whole  period  of  prostration,  intermingled  with  groans,  cries  for 
mercy,  and  exclamations  of  "Glory!  glory  to  God!"**  If  the 
assembly  were  languid,  a  few  shrieks,  and  instances  of  falling, 
quickly  roused  them,  and  others  would  begin  to  fall  in  every 
direction.  Many  were  admonished  of  the  coming  attack  by  a 
pricking  as  of  needles  in  the  extremities,  such  as  one  experiences 
when  the  circulation  of  the  blood  is  impeded,  or  a  limb  is  be- 
numbed, ff  They  complained  also  of  a  deadness  or  numbness 
of  body,  and  found  themselves,  to  their  surprise,  powerless  to  move 
at  the  bidding  of  the  will.  J  J  There  were  some  who  talked  to 
Mr.  Lyle  of  a  sweet  feeling  darting  through  the  body,  preceding 
the  falling  down  ;  but  he  has  given  no  specific  information  in  re- 
gard to  the  nature  of  this  feeling.  In  general,  there  was  no  com- 
plaint of  pain,  but  only  of  great  weakness,  both  during  and  after 
the  paroxysm ;  §§  and  it  was  observed,  that  a  person  who  had 


*  Lyle,  p.  97. 

f  Ibid.  p.  3.     Alexander's  IvCtter  to  Strong.     Powers'  Essay,  p.  39. 
I  Lyle,  pp.  6,  18,  4.         ^  Ibid.  p.  34.         ||  Bibl.  Repert.  vol.  vi.  p.  348. 
IT  Alexander's  I^etter,  tU  supra.  **  Lyle,  pp.  4,  100. 

ff  Lyle,  p.  2.     Dr.  BIythe  told  the  author  he  had  once  felt  this  sensation,  but 
had  repressed  it  by  a  determined  effort  of  wiU. 

Jt  Lyle,  pp.  3,  19,  83.  5J  Ibid.  pp.  6,  8,  20,  30. 


k 


144  EXTRAVAGANCES  AND  DISORDERS 

fallen  once  was  predisposed  to  fall  again,  and  that,  under  circum- 
stances, and  exercises  of  mind,  by  no  means  extraordinary.  * 
Women  had  their  nerves  so  weakened  by  the  frequency  of  these 
attacks,  as  to  fall  while  walking  to  or  from  the  meeting-house, 
engaged  in  narrating  past  exercises,  without  any  uncommon  emo- 
tion,! and  to  drop  from  their  horses  on  the  road.  J 

In  this  condition  the  subject  would  lie  from  fifteen  minutes  to 
two  or  three  hours ;  §  and  we  are  even  told  of  a  woman  lying 
without  eating  or  speaking,  for  nine  days  and  nights.H  Some 
were  more  or  less  convulsed,  and  wrought  hard,  in  frightful 
nervous  agonies,  the  eyes  rolling  wildly ;  but  the  greatest  num- 
ber were  quite  motionless,  as  if  dead,  or  about  to  expire  in  a  few 
moments.     Some  were  capable  of  conversing,  others  not.Tf 

The  hands  were  cold,**  accompanied  generally  with  a  weak, 
low  pulse.  Sometimes  the  pulse  was  higher  and  quicker  than 
usual. ft  A  woman  who  had  been  exhausted  by  exhorting  a  long 
time,  had  the  veins  of  her  neck  much  swelled.  JJ  Another  who 
played  a  frequent  and  conspicuous  part  in  the  exercises,  had  her 
breast  much  swollen.§§  The  face  was  sometimes  pale,  sometimes 
flushed  pale  red,  sometimes  it  was  pale  yellow,  or  of  a  corpse- 
like hue. II II  The  breathing  was  hard  and  quick,  even  to  gasp- 
ing.^H  The  nerves  were  weakened  and  tremulous,  so  much  so 
as  to  render  it  difficult  to  feel  the  pulse  ;  the  sinews  were  gene- 
rally corded,  as  in  nervous  complaints,  and  after  heat  and  relaxa- 
tion ;  rarely  cramped.  In  one  instance,  a  woman's  hands  were 
so  cramped  as  to  require  the  assistance  of  others  to  open  and 
straighten  them.*** 

In  the  hysterical  or  convulsed  state,  there  would  be  sometimes 
a  kicking  or  drumming  of  the  heels  on  the  floor,  with  frequency 
and  force,  so  as  to  be  heard  at  the  distance  of  several  yards ; 
sometimes  a  convulsive  bouncing  of  the  body  on  the  floor,  so  as 
to  make  a  loud  noise ;  sometimes  a  prancing  over  the  benches 
before  falling.ff f 


*  Lyle,  pp.  20,  50.  f  Ibid-  pp.  8,  138.  J  Ibid.  pp.  32, 34. 

§  Dr.  Cleland's  paper.     Bibl.  Repert.  vol.  vi.  p.  341.     Stuart's  Reminiscences, 
No.  II.     Lyle,  p.  26. 

11  McNemar,  p.  32.  1  Dr.  Cleland,  nt  supra.     Lyle,  passiyn. 

**  Lyle,  pp.  2,  18,  20.  ff  Ibid.  pp.  4,  18,  20.  |t  Ibid.  p.  33. 

55  Lyle,  p.  137.  ||||  Ibid.  pp.  20,  18, 71. 

%^  Lvle,  pp.  2,  4,  6,  100.         ***  Ibid.  pp.  2,  8,  18,  33,  40, 

•fit  Lyle,  pp.  30, 10(^  59,  137. 


OF  THE  REVIVAL.  I45 

During  the  syncope,  and  indeed  even  when  conscious,  and  talk- 
ing on  rehgious  topics,  the  patient  was  insensible  of  pain.  A^ine- 
gar  and  hartshorn  were  applied  with  no  perceptible  effect.*  Mr. 
Lyie  having  been  furnished  with  a  vial  of  hartshorn  by  Dr.  War- 
field,  applied  it  to  a  stout  young  man,  who  was  lying  flat  on  his 
back,  and,  inadvertently,  let  some  run  into  his  nostrils ;  but  he 
took  not  the  slightest  notice  of  it,  so  much  was  his  attention  ab- 
sorbed by  devotional  feelings.f  Neither  did  such  as  fell,  nor 
such  as  tumbled  over,  and  struck  a  stump  or  a  tree,  sustain  any 
injury  from  the  concussion.J  It  was  while  in  the  state  of  syn- 
cope that  the  visions  and  trances,  shortly  to  be  described,  oc- 
curred. 

The  numbers  affected  in  this  singular  manner  were  astonish- 
ing. At  Cabin  Creek  Camp-Meeting,  May  22,  1801,  so  many 
fell  on  the  third  night,  that,  to  prevent  their  being  trodden  upon, 
they  were  collected  together,  and  laid  out  in  order  on  two 
squares  of  the  meeting-house,  covering  the  floor  like  so  many 
corpses.^  At  Paint  Creek  Sacrament,  200  were  supposed  to 
have  fallen  ;||  at  Pleasant  Point,  300  ;•[[  but  these  accounts  are 
beggared  by  the  great  meeting  at  Cane  Ridge,  August  6,  1801, 
when  3,000  were  computed  to  have  fallen.** 

2.  The  Jerking  Exercise. — Swoons  and  convulsive  falling 
had  not  been  without  precedent.  They  have  been  recorded  as 
occurring  in  the  days  of  Wesley,  Whitefield,  Edwards,  the  Ten- 
nants,  and  Blair,  as  well  as  at  Cambuslang  and  Kilsyth,  and  ex- 
amples are  not  infrequent  in  the  meetings  of  the  Methodists  and 
Cumberland  Presbyterians,  at  the  present  day.  But  the  phe- 
nomenon now  to  be  described  was  something  far  more  extraor- 
dinary, and  altogether  without  precedent  in  Christian  lands.  It 
was  familiarly  called  The  Jerks,  and  the  first  recorded  instance 
of  its  occurrence  was  at  a  sacrament  in  East  Tennessee,! f  when 
several  hundred  of  both  sexes  were  seized  with  this  strange  and 
involuntary  contortion.  The  subject  was  instantaneously  seized 
with  spasms  or  convulsions  in  every  muscle,  nerve  and  tendon. 


•  Lyle,p.  10.  t  ^Wd.  p.  18.  J  Ibid.  p.  83. 

\  McNemar,  p.  24.  ||  Lyle,  p.  37. 

IT  Lyle,  p.  3.  **  McNemar,  p.  26.     Lyle,  p.  34. 

f  f  BibL  Rep.  voL  vi.  p.  348. 


146  EXTRAVAGANCES  AND  DISORDERS 

His  head  was  jerked  or  thrown  from  side  to  side  with  such  ra- 
pidity that  it  was  impossible  to  distinguish  his  visage,  and  the 
most  lively  fears  were  awakened  lest  he  should  dislocate  his- 
neck  or  dash  out  his  brains.  His  body  partook  of  the  same  im- 
pulse and  was  hurried  on  by  like  jerks  over  every  obstacle,, 
fallen  trunks  of  trees,  or  in  a  church,  over  pews  and  benches, 
apparently  to  the  most  imminent  danger  of  being  bruised  and 
mangled.  It  was  useless  to  attempt  to  hold  or  restrain  him,  and 
the  paroxysm  was  permitted  gradually  to  exhaust  itself.  Ar^ 
additional  motive  for  leaving  him  to  himself  was  the  supersti- 
tious notion  that  all  attempt  at  restraint  was  resisting  the  Spirit 
of  God.* 

The  first  form  in  which  these  spasmodic  contortions  made  their 
appearance  was  that  of  a  simple  jerking  of  the  arms  from  the  elbow 
downwards.  The  jerk  was  very  quick  and  sudden,  and  followed 
at  short  intervals.  This  was  the  simplest  and  most  common  form, 
but  the  convulsive  motion  was  not  confined  to  the  arnis,  it  extend- 
ed in  many  instances  to  other  parts  of  the  body.  When  the  joint 
of  the  neck  was  affected,  the  head  was  thrown  backward  and  for- 
ward with  a  celerity,  frightful  to  behold,  and  which  was  impos- 
sible to  be  imitated  by  persons  who  were  not  mider  the  stimulus*. 
The  bosom  heaved,  the  countenance  was  disgustingly  distorted^ 
and  the  spectators  were  alarmed  lest  the  neck  should  be  bro- 
ken.f  When  the  hair  was  long,  it  was  shaken  with  such  quick- 
ness, backward  and  forward,  as  to  crack  and  snap  like  the  lasb 
of  a  whip.  J  Sometin-^es  the  muscles  of  the  back  were  affected, 
and  the  patient  was  thrown  down  on  the  ground,  when  his  con- 
tortions for  some  time  resembled  those  of  a  live  fish  cast  fron> 
its  native  efement  on  the  land.§ 

The  most  graphic  description  we  have  is  from  one  who  was 
not  only  an  eye-witness,  but  an  apologist.  He  says, "  Nothing  in 
nature  could  better  represent  this  strange  and  unaccountable 
operation,  than  for  one  to  goad  another,  alternately  on  every 


*  Stuart's  Rem.  No.  11.  f  Bibl.  Rep.,  vi.  p.  349. 

I  As  this  statement  will  no  doubt  appear  incredible  to  some  readers,  I  give 
as  my  authority,  an  eye  and  ear-witness,  Mr.  Ephraim  Herriott,  an  elder  of  the 
Church,  and  a  highly  respectable  resident  of  Scott  county,  Ky.  The  account  is 
confirmed  by  others. 

^  Powers'  Essay,  p.  37 


OF  THE  REVIVAL.  I47 

side,  with  a  piece  of  red  hot  iron.  The  exercise  commonly  began 
in  the  head,  which  would  fly  backward  and  forward,  and  from  side 
to  side,  with  a  quick  jolt,  which  the  person  would  naturally  labor 
to  suppress,  but  in  vain ;  and  the  more  any  one  labored  to  stay 
himself,  and  be  sober,  the  more  he  staggered,  and  the  more  his 
twitches  increased.  He  must,  necessarily,  go  as  he  was  stimu- 
lated, whether  with  a  violent  dash  on  the  ground,  and  bounce 
from  place  to  place  like  a  football,  or  hop  round,  with  head, 
limbs  and  trunk  twitching  and  jolting  in  every  direction,  as  if 
they  must  inevitably  fly  asunder.  And  how  such  could  escape 
without  injury,  was  no  small  wonder  to  spectators.  By  this 
strange  operation  the  human  frame  was  commonly  so  trans- 
formed and  disfigured,  as  to  lose  every  trace  of  its  natural 
appearance.  Sometimes  the  head  would  be  twitched  right  and 
left,  to  a  half  round,  with  such  velocity,  that  not  a  feature  could 
be  discovered,  but  the  face  appear  as  much  behind  as  before  ; 
and  in  the  quick  progressive  jerk,  it  would  seem  as  if  the  person 
was  transmuted  into  some  other  species  of  creature.  Head- 
dresses w^ere  of  little  account  among  the  female  jerkers.  Even 
handkerchiefs  bound  tight  round  the  head,  would  be  flirted  off 
almost  with  the  first  twitch,  and  the  hair  put  into  the  utmost 
confusion ;  this  was  a  very  great  inconvenience,  to  redress 
which  the  generality  were  shorn,  though  directly  contrary  to 
their  confession  of  faith.  Such  as  were  seized  with  the  jerks, 
were  wrested  at  once,  not  only  from  under  their  own  govern- 
ment, but  that  of  every  one  else,  so  that  it  was  dangerous  to 
attempt  confining  them,  or  touching  them  in  any  manner,  to 
whatever  danger  they  were  exposed  ;  yet  few  were  hurt,  except 
it  were  such  as  rebelled  against  the  operation,  through  willful 
and  deliberate  enmity,  and  refused  to  comply  with  the  injunc- 
tions which  it  came  to  enforce."* 


:■  *  McNemar,  pp.  Gl,  62. — One  cannot  but  be  struck  witb  the  remarkable  par- 
allel presented  by  the  Howling  Dcrvi.^^Iies  of  Broiis.^a,  as  described  by  an  eye- 
witness. "Tbin|Tfs  had  protrrcsscd  thus  far,  when  suddenly  a  strong  voice 
shouted,  '  Allah  il  Allah  !'  and  a  powerful  man  sprung  from  tiie  floor,  as  though  he 
had  been  struck  in  the  hea.Tt,  fell  far  ward  upon  his  head,  and  by  a  violent  spasm 
rolled  over,  and  lay  flat  upon  his  back,  with  his  arms  crossed  on  his  breast,  and  his 

whole  frame  as  rigid  as  though  he  had  stiffmed  into  deatli The 

measure  of  the  chant  was  regulated  by  the  high  priest,  wiio  clapped  his  hands 
from  time  to  time  to  increase  its  speed  ;  himself  and  his  four  green-girdled  assist- 
ants uttering  the  words  of  the  prayer,  while  tlie  fraternity,  ro;!cing  thsmselves  to 


148  EXTRAVAGANCES  AND  DISORDERS 

From  the  universal  testimony  of  those  who  have  described 
these  spasms,  they  appear  to  have  been  wholly  involuntary. 
Thus  they  have  been  represented  by  McNemar  in  the  passage 
just  cited.  This  remark  is  applicable  also  to  all  the  other  bodily 
exercises.*  What  demonstrates  satisfactorily  their  involuntary 
nature  is,  not  only  that,  as  above  stated,  the  twitches  prevailed 
in  spite  of  resistance,  and  even  the  more  for  attempts  to  suppress 
theni ;  but  that  wicked  men  would  be  seized  with  them  while 
sedulously  guarding  against  an  attack,  and  cursing  every  jerk 
when  seized.  Travellers  on  their  journey,  and  laborers  at  their 
daily  work,  were  also  liable  to  them.f 

Instances  have  been  given  of  men  concealing  whips  on  their 
persons,  with  the  intention  of  using  them  upon  the  subjects  or 
advocates  of  these  contortions,  who  have  themselves,  to  their 
great  surprise  and  horror,  been  suddenly  seized  in  a  similar 
manner,  and  their  whips  have  been  violently  jerked  out  of  their 
hands  to  a  distance.  A  young  man,  the  son  of  an  elder,  who 
was  a  tanner,  feigned  sickness  one  Sabbath  morning,  to  avoid 
accompanying  the  family  to  a  camp-meeting.  He  was  left 
alone  in  bed,  with  none  others  in  the  house  but  a  few  black 
children.  He  lay  some  time,  triumphing  in  the  success  of  his 
stratagem,  but  afraid  to  rise  too  soon,  lest  some  one  might  be 
accidentally  lingering  and  detect  him.  As  he  lay  quiet  with 
his  head  covered,  his  thoughts  were  naturally  directed  to  the 
camp-meeting,  and  fancy  painted  the  assembled  multitude,  the 
public  worship,  and  individuals  falling  into  the  usual  spasmodic 
convulsions.     All  at  once  he  found  himself  violently  jerked  out 


and  fro,  kept  up  one  continual  groan,  rising  and  falling  with  the  voices  of  the 
choir.  Howl  succeeded  to  howl,  as  the  exhaustion,  consequent  on  this  violent 
bodily  exertion,  began  to  produce  its  effect;  until  at  length  the  strong  men  fell 
on  the  earth  on  all  sides  like  children,  shrieking  and  groaning  in  their  agony — 
some  struggling  to  free  themselves  from  tlie  grasp  of  those  who  endeavored  to 
restrain  them,  and  others  trembling  in  all  their  limbs,  and  sobbing  out  their  an- 
guish like  infants. 

"  The  more  I  write  on  the  subject  of  this  extraordinary  and  disgusting  ex- 
hibition, the  more  I  feel  the  utter  impossibility  of  conveying  by  words  a  correct 
idea  of  it ;  from  a  long  sustained  groan,  and  a  slow,  heaving,  icave-like  motion,  it 
grew  into  a  hoarse  sobbing,  and  a  quick  jerk,  which  I  can  compare  to  nothing  that 
it  more  resembles  than  the  rapid  action  of  a  pair  of  bellotcs ;  the  cheeks  and  fore- 
heads of  the  actors  became  pale,  their  eyes  dim,  and  white  foam  gathered  about 
their  mouths."— Miss  Pardoe's   "  City  of  the  Sultan,  in  1836,"  c.  34. 

*  Stuart's  Rem.  No.  II.     Bibl.  Rep.  vi.  343. 

t  Stuart's  Rem.  No,  II. 


OF  THE  REVIVAL.  I49 

of  bed,  and  dashed  round  the  room  and  against  the  walls,  in  a 
manner  altogether  beyond  his  control.  Recollecting  that  pray- 
ing was  said  to  be  a  good  sedative  on  such  occasions,  he  resorted 
to  the  experiment,  and  to  his  great  satisfaction  found  it  success- 
ful. He  returned  to  bed  quite  relieved,  but  only  to  be  again 
affected  in  the  same  way,  and  to  be  again  quieted  by  the  act  of 
praying.  He  then  dressed  himself,  and,  to  occupy  his  mind, 
went  to  the  tanyard,  and  drawing  a  skin  from  the  vat,  prepared 
to  unhair  it.  He  rolled  up  his  sleeves,  and,  grasping  the  knife, 
was  about  to  commence  the  o})eration,  when,  instantaneously, 
the  knife  was  flirted  out  of  his  hand,  and  he  himself  jerked  back- 
ward over  logs  and  against  the  fences,  as  before.  Gaining 
relief  by  resorting  to  the  former  remedy,  he  ventured  to  resume 
his  occupation,  and  again  was  he  interrupted.  But,  finding  his 
talisman  losing  its  efficacy,  he  began  now  to  be  really  alarmed, 
and,  quitting  the  yard,  he  returned  to  his  chamber,  and  betook 
himself  to  prayer  in  good  earnest.  In  this  condition,  weeping 
and  crying  to  God  for  mercy,  he  was  found  by  the  family  on 
their  return.  The  result  of  this  singular  incident  was  that  he 
became  a  truly  converted  man,  and  shortly  after  connected 
himself  with  the  Church.* 

Another  example  of  the  involuntary  nature  of  these  motions 
is  presented  in  the  case  of  a  lady  and  gentleman  of  some  note 
in  the  fashionable  world,  who  were  attracted  to  the  camp-meet- 
ing at  Cane  Ridge  by  mere  curiosity.  On  the  way  they 
diverted  themselves  with  a  variety  of  jokes  upon  the  poor 
deluded  creatures  who  allowed  themselves  to  roll  screaming  in 
the  mud  and  crying  for  mercy,  and  sportively  agreed  that  if 
either  of  them  should  fall,  the  other  should  remain  and  render 
suitable  protection  and  assistance.  They  had  not  been  long  on 
the  ground  when,  to  the  consternation  of  the  gentleman,  his  gay 
companion  suddenly  dropped  ;  whereupon,  instead  of  fulfilling 
his  promise,  he  fled  at  full  speed.  Flight,  however,  proved  no 
preservative,  for  he  had  not  gone  200  yards  before  he  was  seized 
in  the  same  way,  and  measured  his  length  on  the  ground ;  while 
a  crowd  flocked  round  him  to  witness  his  mortification,  and  offer 
prayers  in  his  behalf,  f 


*  This  is  told  by  McGready.     See  Bibl.  Rep.  vol.  vi.  p.  344. 

t  Hist,  of  Meth.  in  the  W.  States,  No.  10,  (Gosp.  Her.  ii.  p.  200.) 


150  EXTRAVAGANCES  AND  DISORDERS 

The  Jerks  continued  to  prevail  for  several  years.  Dr.  Cle- 
land  saw  a  young  woman  in  a  Baptist  settlement  up  Green 
river,  who  had  been  subject  to  them  for  three  years.*  Lorenzo 
Dow  met  with  them  in  1805,  in  Knoxville,  Tennessee.  He  was 
preaching  in  the  Court-house,  the  Governor  being  present,  on 
which  occasion  150  persons  were  exercised  with  the  jerks. f 
Nor  were  they  confined  to  any  particular  sect  or  denomination 
of  Christians,  for  at  an  evening  meeting  that  eccentric  individual 
held  18  miles  from  Knoxville,  about  a  dozen  Quakers,  the  most 
unlikely  subjects  that  could  have  been  selected,  were  affected 
by  them.  He  says,  "  I  have  seen  all  denominations  of  religion 
exercised  with  the  jerks,  gentleman  and  lady,  black  and  white, 
young  and  old,  without  exception.  I  passed  a  meeting-house, 
where  I  observed  the  under-growth  had  been  cut  away  for  a 
camp-meeting,  and  from  fifty  to  a  hundred  saplings  were  left, 
breast-high,  on  purpose  for  the  people  who  were  jerked  to  hold 
by.  I  observed  where  they  had  held  on  they  had  kicked  up  the 
earth,  as  a  horse  stamping  flies."J  One  is  almost  tempted  to 
suspect  that  some  wag  meant  to  pass  a  hoax  on  Lorenzo's 
credulity,  in  this  account  of  the  jerkin g-posts,  for  it  would 
seem  a  much  more  plausible  explanation  that  they  were  used  for 
tying  horses,  especially  as  others  assure  us  it  was  so  difficult  to 
restrain  the  persons  affected. 

3.  The  Rolling  Exercise. — This  is  specifically  noticed  by 
McNemar  as  a  distinct  variety,  and  is  described  as  consisting 
in  being  violently  prostrated,  doubled  with  the  head  and  feet 
together,  and  rolling  over  and  over  like  a  wheel,  or  turning 
swiftly  over  and  over  sidewise  like  a  log.  The  intervention  of 
mud  offered  no  obstacle,  although  the  individual  should  be  sul- 
lied from  head  to  foot.§ 

4.  The  Running  Exercise. — In  this  the  person  affected  took 
a  sudden  start,  and  was  impelled  to  run  with  amazing  swiftness, 
as  if  engaged  in  a  race,  leaping  over  every  obstacle  in  his  way 
with  preternatural  agility.  This  was  continued  till  his  strength 
was  completely  exhausted. |1     Mr.  Lyle  saw  a  young  woman 

*  Bibl.  Rep.,  vi.  345.  t  Powers,  p.  41. 

X  Powers,  p.  41.  \  McNemar,  p.  61.- 

II  Stuart's  Rem.  No,  II.     Bibl.  Rep.  vi.  350. 


OF  THE  REVIVAL.  I5j 

fall  at  Salem,  in  1802,  who  lay  a  good  while,  and  then,  jumping 
up,  cried  as  in  distraction,  that  she  wanted  to  serve  Cod  but 
others  hindered  her.  She  "pranced!^  over  the  benches  for  some 
time,  and  then  fell  down  and  lay  as  in  a  syncope.* 

5.  The  Dancing  Exercise. — This  was  not  one  of  the  earliest 
exercises,  but  a  later  improvement  upon  them,  or,  as  McNemar 
expresses  himself,  "  the  privilege  of  exhibiting,  by  a  bold  faith, 
what  others  were  moved  to  by  a  blind  impulse. "f  The  first 
instance  was  among  the  New  Lights,  at  a  Spring  Sacrament  at 
Turtle  Creek  in  1804,  about  six  months  after  their  schism.  Mr. 
Thomson  felt  constrained,  at  the  close  of  the  meeting,  "to  go  to 
dancing,"  and  continued  this  movement  in  a  regular  manner 
round  the  stand  for  an  hour  or  more,  repeating  all  the  while  in 
a  low  voice,  "This  is  the  Holy  Ghost!  Glory!"  It  was  not 
till  the  fall  or  winter  ensuing,  that  this  grew  to  be  a  common 
practice  among  his  followers.  They  then  encouraged  each 
other  "  to  praise  God  in  the  dance  y"  believing  that  it  was  their 
privilege  to  rejoice  before  the  Lord,  and  aiming  to  express  that 
uniform  and  continual  religious  joy  in  a  manner  which  they 
regarded  as  the  most  appropriate. J  The  dancing  was  per- 
formed by  a  gentle  and  not  ungraceful  motion,  to  a  lively  tune, 
but  with  little  variety  in  the  steps.  Sometimes  it  was  so  ludi- 
crous as  to  excite  a  smile.§  A  writer  in  the  Biblical  Repertory 
states  that  during  the  administration  of  the  Lord's  Supper  in 
the  presence  of  the  Synod  of  Virginia,  he  witnessed  a  young 
woman  performing  this  exercise  for  the  space  of  about  half  an 
hour.  The  pew  in  which  she  had  been  sitting  was  cleared,  and 
she  danced  in  the  vacant  space  from  one  end  to  the  other,  her 
eyes  being  closed  and  her  countenance  calm.  At  the  close  of 
the  half  hour  she  fell,  and  was  agitated  with  more  violent 
motions.  He  saw  another  whose  motions,  instead  of  being 
lateral,  consisted  in  jumping  up  and  down,  like  the  Welsh 
jumpers,  and  if  it  were  worth  while  to  multiply  terminological 
distinctions  with  precise  nicety,  it  might  be  denominated  as  the 
jumping  exercise. II     Mr.  Lyle  saw  several  women  leaping  most 


*  Lyle,  p.  59.  7  McNemar,  p.  60.  \  McNemar,  p.  60. 

{  Stuart's  Rem.,  No.  II.     1|  Bibl.  Rep.  vi.  339. 


"y 


152  EXTRAVAGANCES  AND  DISORDERS 

nimbly,  at  Point  Pleasant,  in  1803,  and  a  young  girl  who  sprang 
a  dozen  times  near  two  feet  from  the  gromid,  notwithstanding 
she  was  held  by  the  hands.* 

6,  The  Barking  Exercise. — One  might  be  tempted  to  think 
that  the  climax  of  absurdity  had  been  already  reached,  but  there 
was  a  piece  of  extravagance  yet  reserved  to  complete  the  de- 
gradation of  human  nature.  The  barks  frequently  accompanied 
the  jerks,  though  of  later  origin.  This  exercise  consisted  in  the 
individual  taking  the  position  of  a  dog,  moving  about  on  all-fours, 
growling,  snapping  the  teeth,  and  barking,  with  such  exactness 
of  imitation,  as  to  deceive  any  one  whose  eyes  were  not  directed 
to  the  spot.  The  persons  affected  were  not  always  of  the  hum- 
blest, or  most  vulgar  classes  ;  but  persons  of  the  highest  rank  in 
society  ;  of  cultivated  minds,  and  polite  manners,  found  them- 
selves involuntarily  reduced  to  this  mortifying  situation. f 

The  only  method  of  securing  relief  from  this  %vretched  condi- 
tion was  to  engage  in  the  voluntary  dance  ;  and  the  opinion 
became  prevalent  that  it  was  inflicted  as  a  chastisement  for  re- 
missness of  duty,  and  as  a  provocative  of  zeal.  Such  as  resisted  the 
impulse,  and  declined  the  dancing,  continued  to  be  tormented  for 
months,  and  even  years.  From  being  regarded  as  marks  of 
guilt,  the  harks  at  last  assumed  the  dignity  of  tokens  of  Divine 
favour,  and  badges  of  special  honor.  Ludicrous  as  it  may  now 
seem  to  us,  at  this  distance  of  time,  to  hear  of  such  extraordinary 
sounds  as  "  hoxo^  wow,  wow,"  interspersed  with  pious  ejacula- 
tions, and  quotations  of  Scripture,  as  "  every  knee  shall  bow- 
wow-wow, and  every  tongue  shall  confess,"  we  are  not  at  liberty 
to  doubt  the  truth  of  the  assertion  that  then  the  effect,  or  at  least 
one  of  the  effects,  was,  to  overawe  the  wicked,  and  excite  fear- 
ful apprehensions  in  the  minds  of  the  impious.  J  It  is  easily  con- 
ceivable that  the  dread  of  being  reduced  to  this  humiliating 
condition  would  check  any  disposition  to  indulge  in  ridicule. 

7.  Visions  and  Trances. — It  was  early  observed,  that  those 
who  fell  in  the  involuntary  syncope,  or  swoon,  after  remaining 
in  a  state  of  insensibility  even  for  hours,  upon  being  aroused  from 
it,  professed  to  have  been  favored  with  wonderful  visions  of 

*  Lyle,  pp.  106,  112.  f  McNemar,  p.  62.  J  McNemar,  p.  63. 


OF  THE  REVIVAL.  153 

things  unutterable.  They  would  discourse,  and  exhort,  and  sing 
in  what  were  termed  "  the  strains  of  heaven,"  in  an  elevated 
style  far  beyond  what  was  supposed  to  be  their  ordinary  ability, 
and  which  could  only  be  accounted  for  by  the  aid  of  inspira- 
tion.* 

Not  only  did  these  persons  profess,  while  in  a  rapture  quite 
out  of  the  body,  to  have  had  interviews  with  the  spirits  of  their 
departed  friends,  and  to  learn  their  different  allotments  in  the 
invisible  world,  but  they  even  aspired  to  somewhat  of  the  pro- 
phetic character,  announcing  what  would  be  the  result  of  the 
meetings  in  progress ;  seeing,  in  vision,  individual  ministers 
preaching,  and  the  persons  who  fell.f 

As  "  a  dream  cometh  through  the  multitude  of  business,"  and 
the  busy  mind  revolves,  during  natural  sleep,  the  incidents  that 
have  engaged  its  attention  during  the  day,  combining  them  in 
the  wildest  vagaries  of  unchecked   fancy ;    so    these   persons' 
minds  being  absorbed  with  but  one  topic,  the  expected  advent 
of  Christ's  kingdom,  their  sleeping  and  waking  reveries  were 
alike  turned  upon  the  subject.     In  the  dreams  which  they  had  at 
night  upon  their  beds,  and  in  the  ecstasies  or  trances  into  which 
they  fell,  these  predominant  thoughts  converted  every  form  and 
object  suggested  by  the  imagination,  into  a  sacred  emblem,  preg- 
nant with  spiritual  meaning.  The  sun,  the  moon,  the  stars,  moun- 
tains, rivers,  plains,  animals,  and  vegetables,  whatever  material 
objects  were  presented  to  the  mind,  were  appropriated  as  sym- 
bolical of  some  correspondent  analogy  in  the  kingdom  of  Christ. 
Thus  there  were  nocturnal  visions  of  two  suns,  or  of  three  moons  ; 
and  waking  visions  of  a  great  platform  or  galaxy  of  stars  in  the 
heaven  at  noonday.      One  beheld  a  purgatorial  fire,  into  which 
thousands  rushed,  and  in  which  they  were  instantly  purified  from 
all  gross  and  fleshly  pollutions.      Another  saw  the  air  darkened 
by  flocks  of  ravenous  birds,  commissioned  to  devour  the  car- 
casses of  all  dead  beasts.    To  the  intense  gaze  of  a  third,  a  road, 
or  track  of  light,  a  thousand  miles  in  length,  stretched  away  in 
the  distance,  along  which  messengers  were   approaching  with 
good  news  from  afar.     Others,  in  these  visions,  were  employed 
in  crossing  rivers  ;  in  climbing  mountains  ;  in  finding  treasures, 


*  Stuart's  Rem.  No.  II. 

f  Dr.  Cleland's  paper,  in  Bibl.  Repert.  vol.  vi.  p.  341. 


154  EXTRAVAGANCES  AND  DISORDERS 

and  in  fighting  serpents  ;  or  more  delightfully  occupied  in  eating 
the  fruits  of  the  tree  of  life  ;  bathing  in  pellucid  streams,  and 
exchanging  their  old  garments  for  new.* 

While  the  crowd  of  enthusiasts  were  obliged  to  be  content,  in 
common,  with  the  privilege  of  ordinary  visions  and  trances,  there 
was  a  selector  number  admitted  to  more  exalted  degrees  of 
mystic  ecstasy.  These  highly  favored  few  emulated  St.  Paul 
in  his  ineffable  rapture ;  and,  happier  than  he,  carried  back  to 
earth,  from  the  heavenly  region,  indubitable  tokens  of  their  visit 
in  "  a  peculiar  fragrance,  and  a  melodious  sound  in  the  breast."t 
It  is  unfortunate  that  this  delightful  fragrance  seems  to  have 
been  confined  to  the  spirit  of  the  individuals  alone ;  had  their 
bodies  likewise  been  affected  by  it,  they  would  have  truly  lived 
in  the  odor  of  sanctity,  and,  more  fortunate  than  the  saints  of  the 
Romish  calendar,  might  have  enjoyed  the  honors,  and  exhibited 
the  undeniable  evidences,  of  a  proleptic  canonization. 

An  undue  importance  was  early  attached  to  the  bodily  exer- 
cises, and  animal  excitement  was  exalted  into  an  evidence  of 
grace ;  and  not  only  one  of  the  evidences,  but  the  brightest  and 
most  indubitable  of  them  all.    All  well-meant  attempts  to  relieve, 


*  McNemar,  p.  67. 

It  may  not  be  uninteresting  to  subjoin  a  few  instances  recorded  by  Mr.  Lyle. 
At  Lexington,  Oct.,  1801,  "H.  McD.'s  wife  fell,  and  swooned  away;  thought, 
when  she  came  to,  she  had  been  asleep.     Dreamt  she  was  walking  on  the  tops 

of  the  trees K.  C.  swoons  often  ;  and  in  one  swoon  saw  a  vision  of 

heaven, with  a  small  door.  J.  C.  is  in  despair:  has  had  a  vision  of  hell,  and 
heard  a  voice  saying,  that  he  must  die  without  religion  in  such  a  time,  &c. — 
Diary,  p.  51.  .  .  .  "One  W.  was  much  agitated,  and  talked  a  good  deal  about 
sin  and  Christ,  and  exhorted  and  prayed.  That  night,  slumbering,  or  as  he 
thought,  wide  awake,  his  spirit  went  out  (as  ,in  a  trance,  I  suppose)  into  the 
earth,  and  saw  strange,  curious  caverns,  &c.,  and  then  he  thought  he  would  look 
upwards,  and  he  saw  a  mountain  clothed  with  beautiful  trees,  silver-topped,  or 
leaves  tipped  with  silver,  fie  thought  this  mountain  led  to  God  and  heaven. 
Then  above  he  saw  a  great  light,  and  he  prayed  to  see  a  little  farther ;  and  a 
little  to  the  right  he  saw  still  more  dazzling  light,  and  he  sighed  and  sunk  before 
it,  as  the  great  All  in  all.  He  came  to  tell  of  these  things  in  ecstacies  of  joy, 
and  appeared  very  thankful  for  the  great  view.  I  inquired  if  he  had  any  view  of 
anything  but  light.  He  said,  nothing  but  dazzling  light,  such  as  he  could  not  be- 
hold ;  and  he  thought  it  was  the  place  where  God  dwelt,  &c.  I  tried  long  to 
state  the  evidences  of  true  grace  to  his  mind." — Diary,  p.  53.  This  occurred  at 
a  sacrament  in  Lexington,  the  5th  Sabbath  of  October,  1801.  We  may  observe 
from  it,  how  early  this  good  man's  mind  arrived  at  a  correct  judgment  in  regard 
to  these  vagaries,  and  how  sedulously,  though  unsuccessfully,  he  labored  to  di- 
rect attention  to  the  true  evidences  of  grace.  "  Two  women  in  Stonermouth  have 
fallen  into  trances,  (July  12,  1801,)  and  one  has  passed  a  golden  bridge  to  hea- 
ven's gate,  &c.     The  other  has  been  in  heaven,  &c.  &-c." — p.  7. 

f  McNemar,  pp.  66,  67. 


OF   THE   REVIVAL.  I55 

moderate,  or  check  the  bodily  aflections  by  physical  or  moral 
means,  were  regarded  by  the  devout  but  ignorant  mulitude,  as 
an  invasion  of  the  Divine  prerogative,  and  an  impious  thwarting 
of  the  Spirit's  operations.*  Those  ministers  who  labored  to 
direct  the  minds  of  the  people  to  the  true  marks  of  grace,  and 
who  discouraged  the  irregularities,  were  denounced  as  deistical, 
and  their  influence  was  diminished.f  Human  nature  has  ever  been 
disposed  to  chime  in  with  the  cry  of  the  Egyptianized  Hebrews, 
"  Make  us  gods  that  shall  go  before  us !  gods  that  we  can 
see,  and  handle  ;"  and  visible  manifestations  have  been  magni- 
fied far  beyond  doctrinal  truth  or  pure  morality. 

But,  as  in  many  other  instances,  those  who  boasted  most  loudly 
of  the  favor  of  Heaven  exhibited  conduct  little  worthy  of  their 
vocation :  and  it  must  be  confessed  the  pretenders  to  the  gifts  of 
the  Holy  Ghost  proved  but  sorry  temples  for  the  inhabitation  of 
so  pure  a  spirit.  Stamped  with  the  signature  of  Heaven,  they 
conceited  themselves  superior  to  other  men,  and  privileged  to 
trample  upon  the  ordinary  rules  of  conduct,  as  will  shortly  be 
seen. 

n.  Another  characteristic  of  the  Revival,  was,  Disorderly 

PEOCEEDINGS  IN    PUBLIC    WORSHIP. 

"  At  first  appearance,"  says  McNemar,  *'  those  meetings 
exhibited  nothing  to  the  spectator  but  a  scene  of  confusion, 
that  could  scarce  be  put  into  human  language."!  Mr.  Stuart 
amply  corroborates  this  account,  and  cautions  the  reader  that  he 
is  not  to  imagine  a  camp-meeting  such  as  is  witnessed  at  the 
present  day,  reduced  to  some  degree  of  order,  and  subject  to 
specific  regulations.§ 

Mr.  Lyle's  testimony  confirms  the  preceding.  He  says  of  one 
camp-meeting,  "he  never  saw  a  more  confused,  careless  audi- 
ence since  the  work  began."||  At  another,  there  was  "  much 
noise  and  tumult."T[  At  another,  "  the  assembly  was  very  tu- 
multuous."** Of  Mr.  Stone's  people  he  says,  "  they  were  wild 
and  disorderly,  more  thanneedful."ff  On  one  occaston,  he  says, 


•  Lyle,  p.  10.  t  Lvle,  p.  54,  83. 

t  McNemar,  p.  23.  J  Stuart'.s  Rem.  No.  11.  |1  Lyle,  p.  41. 

Tf  Lyle,  p.  58.  **  Lyle,  p.  108.  ff  Lyle,  p.  66. 


156  EXTRAVAGANCES   AND   DISORDERS 

"  there  appeared  to  be  good  things  going  on,  but  such  a  scene  of 
confusion  I  hardly  ever  saw."*  On  another,  he  mentions  "  the 
loud  peals  of  indistinct  sound,  that  issued  from  the  busy  crowd," 
and  "  such  a  mighty  noise  that  no  one  could  hear  anything  they 
said  or  did  in  the  other  parts  of  the  house/'f  But  we  are  not 
confined  to  vague,  general  statements ;  from  this  indefatigable 
and  accurate  observer  we  may  collect  the  very  details  of  these 
repulsive  scenes. 

To  say  nothing  of  the  bustle  unavoidably  consequent  upon  the 
fainting  of  individuals  in  a  crowd,  and  their  friends  hastening  to 
their  aid — of  itself  no  trifling  disturbance — different  hymns  were 
sung  at  the  same  time,  each  to  its  appropriate  tune.  J  Mr.  Lyle 
heard  no  less  than  six  different  hymns  at  once  in  the  Providence 
Meeting-House,  in  1801. §  It  added  to  the  discord  that  they  con- 
tracted a  habit  of  singing  very  loud,  with  violent  motions  of  the 
body,  and  in  such  a  way  as  was  destructive  of  all  melody.H 

Several  would  also  pray  at  once  ;  sometimes  two,  sometimes 
ten  or  twelve,  and  sometimes  almost  all  the  serious  people.^"  At 
Walnut  Hill,  in  1803,  after  sermon,  the  people  broke  out  in  a 
loud  burst  of  prayer,  hundreds  using  their  voices  at  the  same 
time,  one  voice  confounding  another  ;  a  crowd  of  all  ranks  look- 
ing on  in  amazement,  at  this  modern  Babel.**  While  McNemar 
was  praying  for  a  woman,  her  voice  rose  louder  than  his  ;  others 
meanwhile  praying,  singing,  groaning,  and  shouting  all  round. ff 
This  practice  they  justified  by  the  plea,  which  one  oddly  enough 
introduced  in  his  prayer.  He  entreated  that  all  might  cry  aloud, 
and  not  be  afraid  of  producing  disorder,  "  for  thou,  Lord,"  added 
he,  "  canst  hear  us,  should  we  all  speak  at  once."  J  J 

The  preachers  were  often  interrupted  in  the  midst  of  their 
discourses  by  bursts  of  singing  and  praying,  volunteered  by  the 
laity,  while  shrieks,  whoops,  outcries,  and  hysterical  laughter,  and 
the  repetition  of  their  words  in  louder  accents,  constituted  a  com- 
bination of  annoyances  to  which  the  waves  of  the  sea  harangued 
by  the  Athenian  orator  must  have  been  a  trifle. §§ 

The  sacrament  at  Walnut  Hill,  in  June,  1803,  by  which  time 


*Lyle,  p.  84.  f  Lyle,  pp.  115,  121.  J  Lyle,  p.  34,  41. 

Ij  Lyle,  p.  58.  ||  Lyle,  p.  65.  IT  Lyle,  pp.  58,  82,  107. 

**  Lyle,  pp.  100,  116.  ft  1-yle,  p.  22.  U  Lyle,  p.  62. 
{{Lyle,  pp.  99,  123. 


OF  THE  REVIVAL,  j^.^ 

the  current  of  enthusiasm  had  set  in  so  strongly  as  to  defy  re- 
straint, seems  to  have  been  eminently  disorderly.  Some  talked, 
some  sang,  some  prayed,  and  others  exhorted,  till  the  roof  rang 
with  deafening  and  reiterated  peals  of  indistinct  sound.  Hun- 
dreds were  praying  and  singing,  and  shaking  hands,  at  the  same 
time.  Numbers  were  exhorting  where  nobody  could  hear,  hol- 
lowing and  screaming  till  hoarse  and  debilitated  in  constitution. 
There  was  an  appointment  at  the  tent  for  sermon  Sunday  after- 
noon, but  such  was  the  uproar,  that  the  sermon  had  to  be  dis- 
pensed with.  About  dusk,  a  meeting  was  appointed  in  the 
house.  The  place  was  crowded,  especially  the  large  aisle,  but 
there  was  such  a  din  from  the  intermingled  exercises,  that  a  loud 
voice  could  be  heard  only  a  few  inches.  Mr.  Howe  was  in  one 
corner,  Messrs.  Stuart  and  Lyle  awhile  in  another,  Mr.  Steele 
on  the  right  side  of  the  pulpit,  and  Mr.  Robinson  up  stairs,  but 
no  one  could  secure  a  hearing,* 

Hysterical  Laughter  was  at  first  sporadic,!  but  in  1803  we 
find  ^'the  Holy  Laugh^^  introduced  systematically  as  a  part 
of  worship.  While  Mr.  Findley  was  preaching  a  lively  sermon 
at  Silver  Creek  Sacrament,  in  June  of  that  year,  the  people  at 
some  sentences  laughed  aloud.  Sometimes  half  the  professors 
of  religion  laughed  in  this  way,  appearing  all  the  time  solemn 
and  devout. J  There  were  also  repeated  shouts  of  "Glory! 
glory  to  God  !"§ 

In  these  disorders  Mr.  Stone  was  the  ringleader.  While  Mr. 
McPheeters  was  speaking  one  evening  at  Paris,  in  June,  1803, 
Stone  got  down  on  his  knees  and  began  to  pray,  which  his 
people  observing,  they  caught  the  flame,  and  began  to  pray  also. 
In  the  course  of  ten  minutes  the  noise  was  so  great  as  to  compel 
Mr.  McPheeters  to  desist.  They  kept  it  up  till  9  o'clock,  many 
of  them  together.  The  rest  of  the  congregation  left  the  place  in 
disgust.  II 

Another  disorderly  procedure,  in  open  violation  of  the  apos- 
tolic canon,  consisted  in  women's  exhorting.     In  the  radiance  of  ^ 
the  New  Light,  the  gift  of  exhortation  was  generally  expected 
on  rising  from  the  state  of  trance ;  nor  is  it  surprising  to  be  told 


*Lyle,  pp.  115,  116,  117,  120,  121.         t  May,  1802,  Lyle,  p.  68. 
J  Lyle,  p.  136.         k  Lyle,  p.  68.  11  Lyle,  p.  127. 

11 


158  EXTRAVAGANCES   AND   DISORDERS 

that  such  expectations  were  generally  answered.  Any  indi- 
vidual was  at  liberty  to  "  minister  the  light"  he  had  received  as 
the  Spirit  directed,  and  men  of  all  ranks,  ages,  and  colors,  freely 
usurped  the  functions  of  the  ministry.  The  female  sex  were  not 
excluded,  and  as  soon  as  they  "  got  deliverance"  as  the  phrase 
was,  they  exhorted  the  bystanders  in  the  most  passionate  manner. 
Sometimes  it  happened  that  these  exhortations  affected  the  peo- 
ple more  than  all  the  preaching.*  The  youngest  girls,  forgetful 
of  the  reserve  and  even  of  the  modesty  so  becoming  to  their  sex 
and  age,  under  the  excitement  into  which  they  were  thrown, 
offered  their  exhortations  to  the  crowd,  indiscriminately,  as  well 
as  to  persons  older  than  themselves.^ 

Even  children  of  a  tender  age,  emboldened  by  their  enthusiasm, 
called  on  sinners  to  repent,  with  eloquence  singularly  preco- 
cious. J  McNemar  instances  boys  of  8  and  10  years  ;§  and  Mr. 
Lyle  witnessed  an  infant  of  seven  years,  with  a  joyful  counte- 
nance, inviting  his  comrades  to  come  to  Christ.]!  These  efforts 
were  often  so  remarkably  pathetic,  both  in  matter  and  manner, 
as  to  arrest  the  attention  of  the  most  careless,  and  dissolve  the 
most  rugged  in  tears.  Specimens  have  been  preserved,  of  which 
the  following  are  the  best :  "  Oh,  the  sweetness  of  redeeming 
love !  Oh,  if  sinners  knew  the  sweetness  of  redeeming  love, 
they  would  all  come  to  the  overflowing  fountain  !"1[  Two  little 
girls,  9  or  10  years  old,  were  in  gi'eat  distress  at  a  sacrament 
near  Flemingsburg  ;  one  of  them  received  comfoj-t  and  began  to 
exhort  her  young  companion  till  she  too  obtained  a  hope,  when 
taking  her  in  her  arms  she  cried,  in  an  affecting  manner,  "  Oh, 
here  is  another  star  of  light !"  At  a  camp-meeting  near  Indian 
Creek,  in  Ohio,  on  the  third  day,  a  boy  twelve  years  old,  mount- 
ing a  log,  addressed  the  people  with  eyes  streaming  with  tears. 
He  continued  to  exhort  for  an  hour,  supported  by  two  men,  till 
his  strength  was  exhausted.  Raising  his  little  hand,  and  drop- 
ping his  handkerchief,  wet  with  tears  and  perspiration,  he  cried : 
"  Thus,  O  sinner,  shall  you  drop  into  hell,  unless  you  forsake 
your  sins,  and  turn  to  the  Lord !"  So  impressive  proved  his 
words  and  gesture,  that  several  fell  instantaneously  to  the  ground. 


*  Lyle,  pp.  69,  71,  80,  105.         f  Lyle,  p.  120.         $  Lyle,  p.  48. 

5  McNemar,  p.  34.  l|  Lyle,  p.  42.  H  McNemar,  p.  34. 


OF    THE   REVIVAL.  J  59 

as  if  they  had  been  shot  in  battle.  From  that  moment  the  meet- 
ing, which  had  been  dull  before,  received  an  impetus  that  carried 
it  forward  with  surprising  vigor.* 

Emancipated  from  all  salutary  restraints,  the  people  abandon- 
ed themselves  to  the  wildest  enthusiasm.  Feeling  was  now 
everything.  The  description  of  the  apostle  was  vividly  fulfilled. 
Unable  to  endure  sound  doctrine,  they  heaped  to  themselves 
teachers,  having  itching  ears.  They  would  listen  to  no  addresses 
but  such  as  were  vociferous  and  impassioned ;  and  forsook  the 
preacher  in  shoals,  if  he  were  not  sufficiently  animated,  and  it 
was  rumored  that  things  were  "  more  lively''  elsewhere. f 

The  late  hours  that  were  kept  no  doubt  aided  the  tendency 
to  a  morbid  excitement  of  the  nervous  system.  They  continued 
up,  sometimes  till  two.J  sometimes  till  four  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing.§  It  was  no  uncommon  thing  to  spend  the  whole  night  in 
these  religious  orgies.||  To  compensate  for  this  loss  of  sleep, 
they  would  deliberately  spread  their  great-coats,  and  take  a  nap 
during  the  sermon.TI  The  truth  seems  to  be,  that  there  were  no 
regular  hours  observed  for  anything,  not  even  regular  intermis- 
sions for  eating  and  sleeping ;  there  were  no  stated  hours  for 
public  worship,  and  the  meeting  might  be  said  to  last  day  and 
night.  Cooking,  eating,  sleeping,  and  the  like  processes,  were  all 
going  on  simultaneously  with  religious  services.** 

The  Millennium  was  supposed  to  have  commenced,  and  the 
ordinary  means  of  grace  were  superseded,  as  rather  embarrass- 
ing the  new  and  free  outpouring  of  the  Spirit.  Hence  the  fre- 
quent interruptions  of  preaching,  and  even  its  entire  suspension. 
The  ministry  of  the  word  and  the  exercise  of  discipline  were 
alike  undervalued. ff 

While  such  disorders  were  permitted  among  the  professedly 
religious,  it  could  hardly  be  expected  that  order  would  be  pre- 
served among  that  portion  of  the  multitude,  emphatically  '*  the 
mixed  multitude,"  who  made  no  pretensions  to  piety.  The 
crowd  fluctuated  according  to  the  varying  impulses  of  curiosity; 
Tdierever  any  fell,  there  the  throng  grew  thicker,  and  could  not 
be  repelled.JJ     Out  of  7,000  or  8,000  present  at  Paint  Creek 

*McNemar,  p.  26.  t  Lyle,  pp.  15,  75.  t  Ly'e,  p.  14. 

§  Lyle,  pp.  70,  102.  ||  Stuart,  Rem.  No.  II.       IT  Stuart,  Rem.  No.  II. 

**  Lyle,  p.  10.  ft  Lyle,  pp.  62,  108.    McNemar,  p.  22. 
ULyle,  pp.  108,  112. 


160  EXTRAVAGANCES   AND   DISORDERS 

Sacrament,  Aug.  1801,  not  more  than  half  the  number  seemed 
attentive  and  behaved  well.  The  rest  wandered  from  place  to 
place  all  day,  confused  and  careless,  talking  and  laughing.*  At 
Salem,  April,  1 802,  "  the  deistical  band  and  the  careless  in 
general  behaved  badly.  They  walked  about,  talked,  laughed, 
&c."f  Occasionally,  mischievous  boys  attempted  to  produce 
disturbance  by  throwing  firebrands  at  the  passers  by,  and  Mr. 
Crawford  himself,  the  minister  of  the  place,  was  struck  on  the 
shoulder  by  one  of  them. J  Parties  of  men  armed  with  clubs, 
and  having  phosphorus  in  their  hats,  were  formed  to  drive  the 
people  off  the  ground.  Mr.  Lyle  saw  half-a-dozen  of  such  men  ; 
but  their  threats  were  not  put  into  execution.§ 

Open  opposition  was  sometimes  met.  At  Lexington,  June, 
1801,  Mr.  Lyle  was  stoutly  opposed  by  an  editor,  who  drew  his 
list  and  threatened  to  injure  him,  applying  to  him  the  most 
abusive  epithets.  He  insisted  that  the  ladies  who  had  fallen 
wanted  fresh  air,  and  that  they  were  hindered  from  obtaining  it ; 
but  when  they  themselves,  on  being  asked,  professed  the  con- 
trary, he  slunk  away  ashamed,  while  the  more  sensible  deists 
condemned  his  conduct  as  a  wretched  piece  of  folly.|l 

Among  the  motley  crowd  collected  from  all  quarters  by 
curiosity,  might  be  seen  the  blackleg,  the  cut-purse,  the  prosti- 
tute, and  all  the  disorderly  and  dissipated  classes  of  society 
from  the  towns  adjoining.  And  to  increase  the  disorder,  "as  if," 
laments  Mr.  Lyle,  "  the  devil  seemed  to  be  doing  all  he  could  to 
discredit  the  work ;"  liquor  was  sold  by  the  huxters,  and  even 
by  some  from  whom  better  things  might  have  been  expected, 
and  many  became  intoxicated.  This  account  is  confirmed  by 
McNemar.H 

The  venerable  Father  Rice,  at  an  early  period,  with  charac- 
teristic foresight,  endeavored  to  guard  against  these  evils ;  and 
had  his  advice  been  followed,  the  shocking  disorders  just  recited 
might  have  been  prevented,  and  the  revival  have  gone  on  with 
greater  purity,  power,  and  splendor. 

There  was  a  sacrament  at  Walnut  Hill,  on  the  first  Sabbath 
in  September,  1801,  when  the  following  clei'gymen  were  present 


•  Lyle,  pp.  41,  79.  t  Lyle,  p.  60. 

t  Lyle,  p.  79.  h  Lyle,  p.  43.  11  Lyle,  p.  12. 

IT  Lyle,  p.  46.     Stuart,  Rem.  No.  II.     McNemar,  p.  34. 


OF    THE   REVIVAL.  If,] 

and  took  part :  Marshall,  Blythe,  Rice,  Lyle,  Crawford,  Welch, 
Stuart,  Ilannels.  Besides  these,  there  were  several  Baptist 
preachers  on  the  ground,  Lewis  Craig,  Smith,  Bowman,  and 
Davis,  who  occupied  another  stand.  The  negroes  had  still  ano-  v. 
ther  preaching  by  themselves.  This  meeting  was  held  but  about  / 
three  or  four  months  from  the  commencement  of  the  revival  in 
Upper  Kentucky.  On  Saturday  afternoon  previous,  Mr.  Rice, 
says  Mr.  Lyle  very  briefly,  "  exhorted  powerfully  against  noise 
and  false  exercise."* 

From  an  intelligent  lady,t  who  was  then  a  little  girl,  but  was 
present  at  this  remarkable  scene,  we  gather  the  following  fuller 
account. 

The  throng  was  so  great  that  she  could  not  obtain  ingress  ,'- 
upon  the  lower  floor,  and  ascended  an  outside  stair,  from  which 
she  was  conducted  with  great  difficulty,  from  the  press,  to  the 
front  gallery.  From  this  position  she  looked  down  upon  the 
body  of  the  building,  where  a  great  crowed  were  collected,  some 
praying,  some  singing,  and  some  going  through  the  bodily 
agitations.  While  she  gazed  in  wonder.  Father  Rice  i-ose  in  the 
pulpit,  with  his  commanding  form  and  his  silver  locks,  and  in  the 
most  solemn  manner  began  to  repeat  those  words  of  Scripture, 
"Holy!  Holy!  Holy!  is  the  Lord  God  Almighty  !"  Never 
was  anything  more  impressive.  There  w^as  an  instantaneous  hush 
through  the  whole  house.  The  venerable  old  patriarch  having 
thus  secured  their  attention,  proceeded  to  express  his  sentiments 
on  the  Bodily  Exercises,  and  to  dissuade  from  encouraging  them. 
Some  idea  may  be  formed  of  the  nature  of  these  remarks,  from 
his  first  and  second  Epistles  to  the  citizens  of  Kentucky.J  Mr. 
Lyle  seems  to  have  feared  that  while  Mr.  Rice  was  particularly 
and  properly  affected  about  the  delusions  and  bodily  affections 
that  prevailed,  he  was  not  so  tender  for  the  lost  souls  of  sinners 
as  might  have  been  expected. 

Not^ontent  with  warning  the  laity,  Mr.  Rice  sought  to  se- 
cure the  co-operation  of  the  clergy,  the  fountain-heads  of  influ- 
ence.    In  the  evening  of  the  same  day,  (Saturday,)  he  read  to  his 


•  Lyle,  p.  44. 

\  The  lady  of  James  Stonestreet,  Esq.,  daughter  of  James  Fishback,  elsewhere 
commemorated. 

X  Bishop's  Memoir,  App.  pp.  334,  338,  353,  368. 


162  EXTRAVAGANCES   AND   DISORDERS 

ministerial  brethren  at  Mr.  Crawford's  house,  a  plan  for  regu- 
lating the  camps  at  night,  in  order  to  prevent  opportunities  of 
vicious  intercourse,  (fee,  &c.  He  proposed  that  v^fhen  the  peo- 
ple should  sleep  in  the  meeting-house,  the  sexes  should  be  sepa- 
rated, and  the  elders  should  sit  up  by  turns  in  the  space  interven- 
ing. Also,  that  the  elders  and  others  should  walk  by  turns 
round  the  camp,  and  act  as  night-watches.  lie  expressed 
apprehensions  that  the  long  meetings  and  nocturnal  vigils  would 
produce  religious  insanity,  and  the  like,  as  among  the   Shakers, 

A —  Green  river  Tumblers,  &c.* 

^    At  this  meeting  some  dissented  from  his  views,  and  stigmatized 

him  and  those  who  agreed  with  him,  as  opposed  to  the  revival. 
Mr.  Rice  himself,  in  his  second  epistle,  seems  to  allude  to  this 
and  other  unhappy  difTerences  of  opinion,  and  ascribes  the  want 
of  harmony  to  the  fact  of  the  ministers  having  so  lately  emi- 
grated into  the  country  from  different  regions,  and  being  so 
widely  dispersed,  that  they  had  had  no  opportunity  to  become 
properly  acquainted.  Owing  to  this  cause  there  was  a  want  of 
mutual  confidence,  which  prevented  such  an  energetic  and  con- 
certed action  as  would  have  cut  off  pernicious  excrescences,  and 

f--    preserved  the  honor  of  religion  untarnished.f 

~~^  From  this  time  both  people  and  clergy  were  divided  into  two 
parties,  gradually  becoming  more  and  more  wide  apart,  till  at 
last  they  separated  completely  in  the  open  schism  of  Stone  and 
Marshall  in  1804. 

It  was  not  until  the  summer  of  1803,  that  any  successful  effort 
— /  was  made  to  resist  the  torrent  of  abuses.  The  honor  of  that 
effort  was  reserved  for  Mr.  Lyle.  With  the  tenderest  feelings, 
he  was  yet  a  bold  and  intrepid  champion  for  the  truth.  Not- 
withstanding he  saw  his  populari-ty  and  influence  diminishing, 
he  unflinchingly  persevered  in  expressing  his  decided  disappro- 
bation publicly  and  privately,  till  at  last  he  found  his  persever- 
ance rewarded.  Aided  by  the  close  observations  whj^h,  we 
know  from  his  Diary,  he  had  been  making  for  nearly  three  years, 
he  prepared  with  great  care  a  sermon  on  Order,  which,  after 
submitting  privately  to  some  of  his  brethren,  he  preached  at 
Walnut  Hill,  on  the  second  Sabbath  of  July,  1803.     This  ser- 


*  Lyle,  p.  45.  \  Bishop's  Mem.  p.  381. 


OF    THE   REVIVAL.  1(J3 

mon,  Mr.  Stuart  informs  us,  "  had  a  happy  effect."*  Mr.  Lyle 
himself  records  that  the  people  wei'e,  generally,  very  attentive, 
and  the  majority  much  pleased  with  the  discourse,  although  a 
few  gainsayed.  Some  grew  angry  and  argued  in  opposition,  and 
even  endeavored  to  promote  the  confusion  of  intermingled  exer- 
cises, but  in  vain.  Mrs.  B.  and  a  few  others  fell,  and  created 
some  disturbance,  but  moderation  triumphed. f 

The  text  was,  1  Cor.  xiv.  33,  40,  "  For  God  is  not  the  author 
of  confusion,  but  of  peace,  as  in  all  the  churches  of  the  saints. 
,  .  .  Let  all  things  be  done  decently  and  in  order."  The 
manuscript  is  in  the  author's  hands,  and  from  its  numerous  era- 
sures and  alterations  bears  marks  of  uncommon  pains  having  been 
expended  upon  it.  It  displays  considerable  research  and  ac- 
quaintance with  the  Scriptures.  Ecclesiastical  History  is  freely 
cited,  and  in  a  note  reference  is  made  to  Justin  Martyr  and 
Eusebius.  *  It  is  a  fine  contrast  to  Mr.  McGready's  sermon  in 
defence  of  those  extravagances. 

III.    Too    FREE    COMMUNICATION   OF  THE  SeXES. This  is  a  SUb- 

ject  which,  for  obvious  reasons,  can  only  be  glanced  at ;  and 
particulars  must  be  suppressed,  even  at  the  expense  of  making  a 
less  vivid  impression  of  the  grievance. 

Tradition  whispers,  in  an  undertone,  of  wild  fellows  from 
adjoining  towns  frequenting  the  camps  to  take  advantage  of  the 
opportunities  afforded  by  the  prevailing  license  and  disorder, 
just  as  they  would  at  a  masquerade  ;  and  what  Mr.  Lyle  records 
is  far  from  being  adapted  to  rebut  the  allegation.  That  disso- 
lute characters  of  both  sexes  resorted  thither,  may  be  gathered, 
also,  from  Messrs.  Stuart  and  McNemar.|  The  very  Stand  was 
made  a  scene  of  nocturnal  assignations  by  some  of  these 
wretches.§ 

The  evil  must  have  been  sufficiently  marked  to  attract  atten- 
tion as  early  as  the  fall  of  1801,  for  in  Mr.  Rice's  plan  for  regu- 
lating the  camps  at  night,  before  alluded  to,  its  prevention  was 
specifically  mentioned  as  an  object ;  for  which  purpose  the 
sexes  were  to  be  strictly  separated  during  the  hours  allotted  to 
sleep,  and  night-watches  were  to  reconnoitre  the  camp  and  the 
stand. 


*  Stuart's  Rem.  No.  II.  f  Lyle,  p.  137. 

I  Stuart,  Rem,  No.  II,    McNemar,  25,  34.  {  Lyle,  p.  42, 


164  EXTRAVAGANCES   AND   DISORDERS 

That  there  was  need  for  vigilance  may  be  readily  inferred 
from  a  single  statement.  In  the  review  which  Mr.  Lyle  took  in 
November,  1802,  of  the  cases  of  such  as  had  falleii  at  previous 
periods,  several  were  found,  by  the  most  unequivocal  proofs,  to 
have  since  fallen  still  more  wofully  ;  no  fewer  than  four  indivi- 
duals having  transgressed  in  the  most  flagrant  manner.* 

Women,  in  their  frantic  agitations,  often  unconsciously  ex- 
posed their  persons  in  a  manner  shocking  to  common  decency. 
Not  only  did  they  tear  open  their  bosoms,  but  they  had  some- 
times to  be  held  by  main  strength  to  keep  them  from  the  most 
indelicate  attitudes.  So  strong  and  active  were  they  under  the 
stimulus,  that  it  required  no  less  than  four  women  to  restrain  a 
single  girl.f 

It  is  not  to  be  understood  that  such  conduct  was  universal, 
but  only  that  instances  occurred,  sufficiently  numerous  to  cast  a 
reproach  on  religion,  and  to  exhibit  the  evils  incident  to  enthusi- 
astic excesses.  At  first,  indeed,  we  find  the  Diarist  recording 
the  serene  and  modest  manner  in  which  females  spoke  of  their 
feelings  ;%  but  two  years  afterwards,  in  1803,  when  disorder  be- 
came the  order  of  the  day,  we  meet  with  frequent  and  painful 
instances  o-f  conduct,  certainly  bold  and  forward,  if  not  actually 
immodest.  Will  it  be  easily  credited  that,  by  this  time,  the  fe- 
males, from  14  to  40  years  of  age,  got  into  the  habit  of  "hug- 
ging" and  embracing  every  one  in  their  vicinity,  in  the  transport 
of  their  feelings,  and  that  the  men,  especially  the  preachers, 
came  in  for  a  liberal  share  of  these  caresses  ?§  This  was,, 
doubtless,  intended  as  an  imitation  of  the  Kiss  of  Charity  alluded 
to  in  2  Cor.  xiii.  12,  and  1  Thess.  v.  26 ;  a  custom  innocently 
practised  among  the  ancients,  as  at  the  present  day  among  the 
Germans  and  Spaniards,  even  by  male  acquaintances,  on  setting 
oflT  on  a  journey,  or  meeting  after  it.  We  find  one  Maxwell  so 
overjoyed  at  Point  Pleasant,  in  1803,  that  he  professed  "he 
could  find  it  in  his  heart  to  kiss  the  dear  people  o-f  God  with  the 


*  Lyle,  p.  93.  f  Lyle,  p.  139.  +  Lyle,  pp.  16,  17. 

5  Lyle,  pp.  102,  105,  135.  Mr.  Lyle  himself  was  on  one  occasion  met  by  a 
woman  leaping  nimbly,  and  her  countenance  radiant  with  joy,  who  attempted' to 
clasp  him  round  the  neck.  But  he  very  properly  seized  her  by  the  hands,  and 
held  her  forcibly  for  some  time  till  she  had  expended  her  saltatory  energies. 
Upon  which  she  found  a  vent  to- her  over-wrought  feelings  in  a  prayer. 


OF    THE   REVIVAL.  165 

holv  kiss."*     And  it  is  observable  that  this  is  the  first  occasion 
where  the  hugging  is  mentioned. 

But  the  most  revolting  violation  of  decorum  occurred  at  the 
riotous  Walnut  Hill  meeting  in  1803.  The  passage  is  so  strik- 
ing with  its  accompanying  reflections,  that  it  is  inserted  entire. 
"  A  Miss  D.,  an  orphan  from  Garrard,  or  the  Fork  of  Dick's  ri-  .*- 
ver,  was  in  an  ecstacy  of  joy.  Two  men  hoisted  her  on  their 
shoulders,  though  she  was  woman  groxcn,  in  the  manner  that  the 
victorious  party  of  the  vulgar  hoist  their  representative  at  elec- 
tions. She  exulted  aloud,  crying,  Glory  to  God  !  clapped  her 
hands  until  they  were  all  red  and  swelled  ;  told  the  people  she 
had  lost  her  father  and  mother,  but  now  she  knew  God  was  her 
father,  (fee.  She  talked,  I  suppose,  near  half  an  hour  before  they 
let  her  down.  She  then  hugged  Mr.  Shannon  and  Finlcy,  also 
Wm.  McD.  and  another  man  that  stood  near.  Put  her  arms 
about  their  neck,  and  hugged  and  then  clapped  their  hacks. 
Though  the  hoisting  the  girl  might  have  been  done  with  a  good 
intention,  yet  it  appeared  imprudent  in  a  certain  degree,  and  she 
seemed  not  to  '  rejoice  with  trembling.'  Note. — I  do  not 
think  the  Scripture  authorizes  female  exhortation.  1  think  too 
muchy^w  and  applause  about  those  who  get  a  manifestation  en- 
genders spiritual  pride.  '  Rejoice  with  trembling.''  However, 
her  exercises  seem  scriptural  in  the  main."-\  ^   - 

IV.  The  Proml'lgatiox  of  Doctrinal  Errors. — "  Truth  is 
in  order  to  goodness,"  say  our  excellent  standai-ds.J  Where 
important  errors  in  practice  abound,  either  they  may  be  dis- 
tinctly traced  to  previous  errors  in  doctrine,  or  they  will  be 
speedily  found  forming  a  connection  with  them.  Every  act  is 
based  upon,  or  defended  by,  some  speculative  opinion  ;  and 
however  some  may  attempt  to  make  a  distinction  between  the 
facts  and  the  i)hilosophy  of  religion,  and  pretend  to  reject  all 
theories,  a  theory  of  some  kind  is  absolutely  unavoidable  by 
every  person  of  the  least  reflection,  both  to  bind  insulated  facts 
in  the  memory,  and  to  serve  as  a  guide  to  further  investigation.^ 

The  tendency  to  erroneous  views  was  apparent  at  a  very  *^ 
early  date,  both  in  the  upper  and  lower  sections  of  the  State. 


*  Lvle,  p.  103.  f  Lyle,  p.  120. 

t  Form  of  Gov.  Bk.  I.  c.  i.  {  4. 


T' 


16G  EXTRAVAGANCES  AND   DISORDERS 

In  the  lower  section,  or  the  Green  river  country,  we  have  ah-eady, 
at  a  length  not  necessary  to  be  repeated  here,  shown  the  intro- 
duction of  Methodist  influence,  and  its  gradual  predominance  in 
the  general  camp-meetings,  especially  by  means  of  their  hymns. 
The  natural  effect  of  this  increase  of  influence,  would  be  to  ren- 
der their  doctrinal  sentiments  popular,  by  the  recommendation 
of  uncommon  zeal ;  and  that  this  was  the  actual  consequence  we 
are  distinctly  informed  by  the  Methodist  writer  before  cited. 
His  language  is  as  follows: — "  It  was  now  obvious  that  the  sub- 
jects of  this  work,  very  generally,  had  embraced  the  doctrine  of 
grace  as  held  by  the  Methodists,  and  the  Presbyterian  ministers 
engaged  in  it,  appeared  also,  at  first,  to  receive  it  in  like  man- 
ner."* When  an  investigation  by  a  Commission  of  Synod 
became  necessary,  it  was  found  that  the  rumors  of  departure 
from  the  Confession  of  Faith  were  well  founded  ;  the  doctrines 
of  election  and  special  grace  being  openly  denied  and  ridiculed. 
This  was  the  germ  which  soon  afterward  expanded  into  the 
Cumberland  Presbyterian  schism. 

While  error  was  widely  spreading  in  the  lower  section  of  the 
State,  under  the  fostering  warmth  of  extraneous  influence,  the 
upper  section  became  the  prey  of  similar  calamities.  A  mon- 
grel mixture  of  Antinomianism  and  Arminianism  began  to  be 
broached  by  Marshall,  Stone,  and  McNemar,  as  early  as  the 
great  camp-meeting  at  Cane  Ridge,  in  August,  1801.  They 
called  it  the  true  new  Gospel,  which,  they  said,  none  preached 
but  themselves.  It  blended  high  pretensions  to  sanctification 
with  equally  high  exaltations  of  human  agency  in  believing,  and 
a  studious  silence  upon  the  subject  of  the  Holy  Spirit  and  his 
operations.!  These  errors  prevailed  among  the  advocates  of 
the  Bodily  Exercises  and  other  extravagances,  and  ripened  into 
■^  the  New  Light  schism. 

Not  only  did  two  schisms  spring  from  this  hot-bed  of  enthu- 
siasm, but  a  fungous  excrescence  of  a  fouler  and  more  perni- 
cious character  found  a  congenial  lodgment,  and  throve  with 
lamentable  success.  This  was  Shakerism.  Of  this  and  the  two 
schisms  more  will  be  said  in  the  proper  place. 

V.  Engendering  Spiritual    Pride,  Censoriousness,  &c. — 

*  Hist,  of  Meth.  in  the  West.    No.  XI.    (Gosp.  Her.  vol.  H.  p.  220.) 
fLyle,  pp.  21,  66,  106,  118,  119,  125. 


OF    THE   REVIVAL.  167 

As  soon  as  the  first  surprise  was  over,  the  larger  portion  of  the 
Presbyterian  clergy  took  their  stand  in  favor  of  truth  and  order, 
although  less  decidedly  than  they  might  and  would  have  done, 
had  they  not  indulged  the  hope  that  the  extravagant  follies  they 
deplored  would  expire  of  themselves,  while  an  open  hostility 
might  turn  off  attention  from  more  important  matters  to  these 
minor  points,  to  the  detriment  of  the  Revival.  That  this  was 
the  reason  of  forbearing  from  prompt  disciplinary  measures,  i* 
asserted  by  one  of  the  opposite  party,  who  may  be  presumed 
competent  testimony  ;*  and  it  is  rendered  highly  probable  by 
the  fact  that  no  sacraments  were  held  during  the  winter  months,! 
the  roads  in  Kentucky  being  at  that  season  nearly  impassable. 
As  early  as  June,  1801,  we  find  Mr.  Lyle  in  a  sermon  at 
Lexington,  giving  marks  of  true  illumination,  and  exhorting  the 
people  to  guard  against  enthusiasm,  which,  like  a  worm,  de- 
stroyed the  beauty  of  a  revival,  and  would  ere  long  discredit  the 
work  of  God.  He  warned  them  of  the  liability  of  ministers  and 
people  to  err,  and  referred  to  the  history  of  Whitefield's  day, 
and  Davenport's  Retractions.  He  reproved  the  strolling  parties, 
and  urged  the  multitude  to  be  as  quiet  as  possible.  Such 
admonitions  were  pleasing  to  some,  but  highly  unpalatable  to 
others.J  After  the  Conference  at  Walnut  Hill,  in  September 
following,  and  the  rejection  of  Mr.  Rice's  Plan  for  regulating 
the  Camps,  the  clergy  and  people  became  divided  into  two  dis- 
tinct parties — the  Orthodox  and  the  New  Lights — one  assuming 
the  honorable  style  of  "  Revival  Men,"  and  affecting  superior 
sanctity  and  zeal,  and  stigmatizing  the  other  unjustly  as  "  ^nti- 
Revival  Men"§  The  latter  were  freely  denounced  as  hindrances 
to  the  work,  especially  "old  parson  Rice,"||  as  standing  in  the 
way  ;  as  deists  in  heart ;  and  as  having  no  religion  ;1I  while  on 
themselves  only  shone  the  effulgence  of  the  New  Light,  irradi- 
ating them  with  the  knowledge  of  "  The  True  JVew  Gospel." 
With  the  enthusiastic  or  New  Light  party,  who  were  the  most 
forward  and  noisy,  the  elder  clergy  and  the  more  sober-minded 
soon  lost  their  influence,  and  found  themselves  under  the  neces- 


i^ 


*  McNemar,  p.  27.  f  Lyle,  p.  58. 

I  lijrle,  p.  15.  5  Lyle,  p.  45.     Stuart,  Rem.  No.  II. 

II  Lyle,  p.  83. 

II  Lyle,  pp.  54,  82.  Cleland,  Bibl.  Repert.  vol.  vi.  p.  339. 


168  EXTRAVAGANCES   AND   DISORDERS 

sity  of  looking  on  in  silence  and  enduring  evils  which  they  could 
not  check.* 
f^  The  sacraments  no  longer  presented  the  pleasing  spectacle 
of  brethren  in  unity.  The  stand  was  converted  into  an  arena 
for  controversy.  If  Stone  promulged  his  errors,  Lyle  and 
Cameron  felt  it  to  be  their  duty  to  counteract  the  subtle  poison 
by  broader  exhibitions  of  the  opposite  truths.f  If  Blythe 
preached  according  to  the  Westminster  Confession,  Marshall 
took  offence,  supposing  it  to  have  been  done  out  of  contradiction 
to  him. J  In  private  he  ridiculed  Blythe  for  adhering  so  closely 
to  the  track  of  the  Confession  ;  and  when  taken  aside  for  a 
conference  by  Lyle,  Blythe,  and  McPheeters,  he  flew  into  a 
rage  and  accused  them  of  misrepresenting  him  ;  though  he 
afterwards  professed  to  be  reconciled.^ 

The  persuasion  that  the  power  of  exhortation  after  falling 
was  a  gift  from  Heaven,  one  of  the  "  manifestations  of  the 
Spirit"  mentioned  in  the  twelfth  chapter  of  1st  Corinthians,  and 
a  supernatural  seal  to  the  reality  of  the  work  within  and  upon 
them,  was  well  adapted  to  feed  spiritual  pride  and  gratify  the 
love  of  superiority  and.  distinction  so  natural  to  the  human  heart. 
When  Mr.  Lyle  remonstrated  with  a  layman  for  praying  aloud 
after  falling,  he  replied  that  he  must  obey  the  dictate  of  his 
feelings  ;  he  complained  that  the  interruption  had  destroyed  his 
feelings  ;  and  said  it  was  suggested  to  him  that  Mr.  Lyle  had  no 
religion.  When  remonstrating  with  another  enthusiast,  he  was 
told  that  he  was  not  qualified  to  judge  of  a  work  which  he  had 
never  felt  in  his  own  body,  and  that  many  of  the  old  Christians 
were  babes  in  Christ  compared  with  young  converts  on  the 
Cumberland.il 

Exhortations  to  sinners,  or  even  to  ministers  to  deal  faithfully 
and  tenderly  with  such,T[  might  be  excused  as  ebullitions  of 
deep  and  sincere  feeHng ;  but  what  can  be  said  in  defence  of 


*  At  the  riotous  Walnut  Hill  meeting,  June,  1803,  we  find  in  the  Diary 
the  following  entry  :  "  Just  at  dusk  I  rose  and  claimed  their  attention,  which, 
with  difficulty,  I  obtained.  I  exhorted  for  a  few  minutes  with  some  patlios,  but 
without  letting  fall  anything  pointed  on  the  subject  of  decency  and  order.  Mr. 
Blythe  also  said  a  few  words  in  a  weeping,  sorrowful  mood,  and,  though  his 
sorrows  arose  from  the  disorders  he  perceived,  he  considered  his  influence  so 
far  decreased  that  he  said  nothing  about  them."     Lyle,  p.  116. 

t  Lyle,  pp.  118, 119.  J  Lyle,  p.  107.  {  Lyle,  pp.  108,110,  113. 

II  Lyle,  p.  83.  IF  Lyle,  p.  70. 


OF    THE   REVIVAL. 


169 


open  upbraidings,  reproofs,  and  personalities  ?  The  deluded 
creatures  not  seldom  mistook  their  own  censorious  temper  lor 
the  afflatus  of  the  dove-like  Spirit.  '•  The  general  gift  of  exhor-  ^ 
tation,"  says  McNemar,  "  was  to  search  out  the  state  of  the 
sinner,  convict  him  of  sin,  and  warn  him  to  fly  from  it ;  and 
they  often  came  so  pointed,  even  to  naming  the  person,  and  pub- 
licly arraigning  him  for  specific  crimes,  that  often  evil  spirits, 
whose  work  is  to  cover  iniquity  and  conceal  sin,  were  stirred 
up  to  great  fury.  .  .  .  To  see  a  bold  Kentuckian  (undaunted 
by  the  horrors  of  war)  turn  pale  and  tremble  at  the  reproof  of 
a  weak  woman,  a  little  boy,  or  a  mean  African  ;  to  see  him  sink 
down  in  deep  remorse,  roll  and  toss,  and  gnash  his  teeth,  till 
black  in  the  face  ;  entreat  the  prayers  of  those  he  came  to 
devour  ;  and,  through  their  fervent  intercessions  and  kind  in- 
structions, obtain  deliverance  ;  and  return  in  the  possession  of  the 
meek  and  gentle  spirit  which  he  set  out  to  oppose  : — who  would 
say  the  change  was  not  supernatural  and  miraculous  ?  Such 
exorcisms,  or  casting  out  of  evil  spirits,  are  justly  ranked  among 
the  wonders  which  attended  the  JVevo  Lights*  ""^^TT^ 

We  have  an  example  of  this  sort  of  upbraiding  in  the  Mrs. 
B.,  who  has  been  before  mentioned  as  being  so  conspicuous  on 
these  occasions.  Once,  after  writhing  for  some  time,  she  broke 
out  into  a  kind  of  prayer,  in  which  she  charged  the  ministers 
with  coldness  and  deadness  in  religion,  wuth  too  great  attachment 
to  the  beggarly  elements  of  this  world,  and  with  keej)ing  back 
and  discouraging  the  people  of  God.  She  also  avowed  her 
belief  that  the  absence  of  some  of  them  that  evening  was  owing 
to  slothfulness  and  fondness  of  earthly  objects.f 

While  they  gave  vent  to  these  hortatory  impulses,  instead  of 
that  soft,  melting  tone  which  betokens  the  presence  of  genuine 
sympathy,  they  too  often  wore  the  air  and  gestures  of  a  Python- 
ess. One  (a  young  man,  a  Methodist)  is  described  as  running 
among  the  throng,  and  calling  on  them  to  pray  out,  '^ with 
apparent  rage  ;"  another,  (an  old  man,)  obeying  the  call,  and 
praying  with  ''  clenched  fists  ;"%  another,  (a  woman,)  shrieking 
"Glory  to  God !"  with  wild  and  distracted  eyes,  and  "when  she 
spoke  to  sinners,  she  looked  like  afury."^ 

*  McNemar,  p.  35.  t  Lyle,  p.  102. 

I  Lyle,  p.  130.  }  Lyle,  p.  47. 


CHAPTER     VII 


DISQUISITION    UrON    THE    CAUSES   OF   THE    BODILY    AGITATIONS. 

To  account  for  these  remarkable  phenomena,  different  theories 
were  adopted  by  different  classes  of  people.  One  theory  ascribed 
them  to  the  agency  of  the  Spirit  of  God  ;  a  second,  to  the  agency 
of  an  evil  spirit ;  while  a  third  stigmatized  the  whole  as  deception 
and  imposture. 

That  an  evil  spirit  should  have  produced  them,  there  is  no  rea- 
sonable ground  to  suppose.  The  belief  in  witchcraft  and  sorcery 
finds  no  enlightened  advocates  in  our  day.  No  parallel  can  be 
found  in  the  Demoniacs  of  Scripture,  because  these  were  neither 
affected  by  pungent  convictions  of  sin,  nor  were  they  led  to  devo- 
tional exercises.  It  is  undeniable,  moreover,  that  even  after  de- 
ducting the  backsliders,  there  were  numerous  instances  of  genuine 
conversion,  especially  at  the  first ;  a  result  hardly  compatible 
with  the  impious  designs  of  Satanic  agency. 

As  little  ground  is  there  for  attributing  these  contortions  to  the 
special  agency  of  the  Spirit  of  God.  Persons  who  made  no  pre" 
tensions  to  piety  were  affected  in  this  manner,  not  excepting  the 
deist  and  the  blasphemer,  who  cursed  the  spasm  that  exposed 
them  to  ridicule.  Violent  gestures  are  nowhere  in  Scripture 
described  as  the  usual  marks  or  exercises  of  piety,  though  occa- 
sionally found  in  connection  with  it ;  nor  is  any  peculiar  value  or 
efficacy  attached  to  them.  We  cannot  suppose  that  the  Spirit 
working  in  the  man  would  contradict  the  Spirit  speaking  in  the 
word.  Since,  therefore,  the  Spirit  speaking  in  the  word  instructs 
us  that  "bodily  exercise  profiteth  little;"  that  "God  is  not  the 
author  of  confusion,  but  of  peace,  as  in  all  the  churches  of  the 
saints ;"  that  all  things  should  be  done  "decently  and  in  order ;" 


CAUSES    OF    THE    BODILY  AGITATIONS.  171 

that  "the  spirits  of  the  prophets  are  subject  to  the  prophets;" 
ami  that  ])ublic  worship  should  be  conducted  in  a  regular  and 
edifying  manner,  in  all  its  parts,  praying,  preaching  and  singing — 
in  regard  to  which  minute  and  specific  directions  are  given  in 
the  14th  chapter  of  the  1st  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians  ;  we  can- 
not believe  that  this  same  ])eaceful  Spirit,  operating  in  the  man, 
will  impel  him  to  act  in  a  manner  directly  the  reverse  of  his 
previous  teaching — a  manner  confused,  noisy,  tumultuous,  and 
hostile  to  edification.  As  to  visions  and  trances,  they  are  of  all 
species  of  gracious  evidences  the  most  fallacious.  They  estab- 
lish nothing  but  the  vivid  and  excited  fancy  of  the  individual,  in 
a  state  bearing  a  resemblance  to  dreaming  or  somnambulism. 
"  A  dream  cometh  through  the  multitude  of  business,"  says  the 
wise  man ;  and  the  mind,  engaged  on  devotional  subjects  in  its 
ordinary  state,  will  naturally  dream  them  over  again  in  the 
trance.  And,  to  say  no  more,  a  vision  is  supported  by  no  other 
testimony  than  that  of  the  person  who  professes  to  have  had  it ; 
nor  is  there  any  one  to  verify  or  to  corroborate  his  narrative.  "  Let 
him  that  hath  a  dream,  tell  his  dream,"  is  the  judicious  advice  of 
Holy  Writ ;  that  is,  let  him  disclose  it  if  he  chooses  ;  but  let  him 
tell  it  only  as  a  dream — let  him  be  cautious  how  he  represents  it 
as  a  Divine  revelation.  The  apostacy  of  numbers  who  pretend- 
ed to  be  thus  highly  favored,  gives  melancholy  evidence  of  the 
emptiness  of  their  boasting. 

Having  disposed  of  the  theories  of  Divine  and  Satanic  agency, 
we  come  to  the  third,  which  solved  every  difficulty  by  the  bold 
wholesale  charge  of  deception  and  imposture.  But  this  hypothe- 
sis we  regard  as  utterly  untenable.  However  some  may  have 
artfully  counterfeited,  for  their  own  wicked  purposes,  as  no 
doubt  was  done,  it  is  incredible  that  so  many  persons  of  exem- 
plary and  respectable  character  would  conspire  in  so  vast  a 
fraud.  The  matter  is  placed  beyond  a  doubt,  by  the  palpably 
involuntary  nature  of  the  exercises,  in  copious  instances.  The 
scoffer,  the  persecutor,  the  blasphemer,  the  infidel,  who  braced 
themselves  up  with  premeditated  resolution,  or  treated  the  work 
as  a  delusion,  were  seized  with  paroxysms  which  they  could  not 
prevent.  The  stories  before  narrated,  of  the  young  tanner,  and 
the  men  whose  concealed  whips  were  jerked  out  of  their  hands, 
may  be  cited  as  examples.  Several  cases  are  ofiered  in  addition, 
collected  out  of  Mr.  Lyle's  Diary. 


172  CAUSES   OF   THE   BODILY    AGITATIONS. 

Polly  McB was  unconscious   of  any  change,  and   was 

amazed  to  find  the  people  (locking  round  her,  till,  making  an 

exertion  to  move,  she  found  herself  powerless.     One  F ,  near 

Lexington,  struggled  for  three  hours  against  the  disposition  to 
fall,  but  had  to  yield  at  last.     At  Pleasant  Point,  on  Stoner,  a 

Miss  G fell,  after  bitterly  opposing  the  work.    When  Preston 

B fell  at  Cane  Ridge,  he  appeared  confounded,  and  said  it 

was  an  unfortunate  sight  and  a  great  mortification.  He  after- 
wards relapsed.  One  D dropped,  as  if  shot,  just  after  ex- 
pressing his  fears  that  the  work  was  not  right.     A  few  days  after 

he  was  seen  intoxicated.     One  M threatened  his  swooning 

daughters  that  he  would  beat  them  if  they  ever  came  to  such  a 

place  again,  and  fell  with  the  words  in  his  mouth.     One  E 

fell  at  Lexington,  who  had  told  an  acquaintance  if  he  fell  he  might 

put  his  foot  on  his  neck  and  keep  him  down.     One  S ,  a  deist, 

fell  at  Cane  Ridge,  who  had  said  he  would  not  fall  so  for  a 
thousand  dollars,  and  who  avowed  his  disbelief  in  heaven,  hell 
or  devil.  He  lay  speechless  for  an  hour,  and  then  retracted, 
with  apparent  penitence  ;  but  three  months  after  he  relapsed. 

One  H ,  of  Stoner,  defied  God  and  his  angels  to  throw  him 

down,  but  it  proved  to  be  an  idle  boast.* 

The  theories  which  imply  either  deception  or  superhuman 
agency  must  be  abandoned.  The  only  correct  and  satisfactory 
solution  is  found  in  the  influence  of  the  imagination  on  the  nervous 
system. 

That  the  body  and  the  mind  exert  a  strong  influence  recipro- 
cally on  each  other,  is  a  long  admitted  truism,  nor  is  physiologi- 
cal science  sufficiently  matured  to  authorize  the  setting  of  definite 
limits  to  that  influence.  The  wonders  of  Animal  Magnetism  and 
Clairvoyance  cannot  fail  to  surprise,  even  should  the  imagination 
be  considered  the  cause  instead  of  a  supposed  magnetic  fluid. 

Fear  blanches  the  cheek  ;  Shame  suffuses  it  with  a  blush.  Joy 
sparkles  in  the  eyes  ;  Sorrow  bedews  them  with  tears.  Cheerful- 
ness relaxes  the  muscles ;  Anger  contracts  them.  Horror  changes 
the  raven  locks  into  grey  in  the  course  of  a  single  night.  Intense 
Anxiety  causes  palpitation  of  the  heart  and  trembling  of  the  limbs. 
Depression  of  Spirits  retards  the  circulation  of  the  blood  ;  while, 


*  Lyle,  pp.  4,  11,  17,  19,  26,  31,  50. 


CAUSES   OF    THE   BODILY   AGITATIONS.  173 

on  the  contrary,  the  circulation,  liie  respiration,  the  digestion,  the 
bilious  secretions,  are  accelerated  by  strong  and  vigorous  emotions. 
Passions  indulged  to  excess  have  proved  fatal  in  many  instances. 
A  Greek  exj)ired  with  joy  on  learning  that  his  two  sons  were 
crowned  victors  in  the  games.  Claxton,  the  doorkeeper  of  Con- 
gress, dropped  dead  at  the  news  of  CornwalUs'  capture.  Valen- 
tinian  I.  died  of  a  fit  of  anger,  which  convulsed  his  whole  frame, 
and  occasioned  the  bursting  of  a  large  blood-vessel. 

The  patients  of  Deslon,  the  colleague  of  Mesmer,  were  thrown 
into  convulsions,  they  shivered,  they  burned,  from  the  mere  force 
of  the  imagination.  The  Investigating  Committee,  of  whom  Dr. 
Franklin  was  one,  found  them  affected  as  powerfully  when  made 
to  believe  that  Deslon  w^as  standing  and  operating  behind  a  door, 
although  he  was  really  not  there  at  all,  as  when  he  was  present. 
When  Perkins'  iMetallic  Tractors  were  in  vogue,  in  1799,  and 
were  supposed  to  relieve  rheumatism  and  nervous  disorders,  Dr. 
Haygarth  found  that  wooden  Tractors,  shaped  and  painted  to 
resemble  those  of  metal,  were  equally  efficacious  in  producing 
temporary  relief. 

Touching  for  the  King's  Evil,  once  so  much  in  fashion  that 
Charles  II.  touched  no  less  a  number  than  23,601  applicants  in 
five  years,  from  1660  to  1664,  but  which  has  now  fallen  into  de- 
suetude, furnishes  another  example  of  the  power  of  the  imagina- 
tion. 

The  miraculous  cures  of  Prince  Hohenlohe,  of  Hungary,  in  the 
present  century,  should  not  be  overlooked,  involving,  as  they  do, 
the  occult  principle  of  other  like  cures  in  the  Romish  Church,  the 
principle  of  Faith.  The  son  of  an  insane  father,  he  was  a  man  of 
weak  intellect  himself,  and  credulous  from  early  youth.  He  con- 
ceived that  in  answer  to  his  prayers  the  most  wonderful  cures 
were  effected,  and  he  found  multitudes  ready  to  repose  confi- 
dence in  him.  Although  his  experiments  in  the  WUrtzberg  and 
Bamberg  hospitals  were  a  failure,  there  were  not  wanting  num- 
bers who  fancied  that  they  received  benefit,  while  those  who 
were  disappointed  ascribed  the  want  of  success  to  their  weakness 
of  faith.  It  was  not  even  necessary  to  see  him  ;  it  was  sufficient 
to  communicate  with  him  by  letter,  and  unite  with  him  in  a  simul- 
taneous concert  of  prayer  at  a  given  hour.  It  seems  not  to  have 
occurred  to  the  thaumaturgist  and  his  suitors,  that  the  clocks  in 
12 


274  CAUSES   OF  THE   BODILY   AGITATIONS. 

Hungary,  and  the  West  of  Europe,  necessarily  disagreed,  nor 
did  it  interpose  any  obstacle  to  success.* 

Medical  men  are  well  aware  of  the  influence  of  the  mind  on  the 
body,  and  often  avail  themselves  of  the  principles  of  mental  science 
in  the  treatment  of  diseases.  Confidence  in  the  physician  and 
his  medicines,  seems  a  condition  indispensable  to  recovery ;  and 
hence  they  justify  themselves  in  resorting  to  the  artifices  of  de- 
ception and  flattery  to  keep  up  the  spirits  of  the  patient,  that  hope 
may  co-operate  with  the  drugs.  Despondency  is  death.  Tissot 
relates  a  story  of  a  woman  who  had  sunk  into  a  lethargy,  from 
which  she  could  not  be  roused.  Knowing  her  ruling  passion  to 
be  avarice,  some  one  placed  a  piece  of  money  in  the  palm  of  her 
hand,  and  gave  it  a  forcible  pressure.  The  fingers  immediately 
and  instinctively  closed  over  it,  and  clutched  it  tightly.  From 
that  moment  the  powers  of  nature  rallied. f 

Borrichius  cured  a  woman  of  an  inveterate  tertian  agi  e  by 
designedly  exciting  her  irascibility. J  The  present  accomplished 
President  of  Centre  College,  Dr.  Young,  like  a  cardinal  of  ilrmer 
times,  owes  his  life  to  a  facetious  friend  provoking  him  to  laughter 
by  a  peal  of  merry  anecdotes,  at  the  instigation  of  his  physician. 
The  necessary  stimulus  was  thus  supplied  ;  the  diaphragm  and 
its  contiguous  muscles  were  pleasantly  agitated  ;  the  crisis  was 
happily  passed  ;  and  the  dreaded  chill  completely  prevented.  Dr. 
E.  F.  Smith,  of  New  Brunswick,  once  saved  an  epileptic  patient 
from  a  fit,  just  as  it  was  coming  on,  by  exciting  his  anger. 

Dr.  Rush  was  once  summoned  to  a  consultation  on  the  case  of 
a  woman  who  had  been  a  playmate  of  his  in  early  life.  She  af- 
terwards married,  and  removed  to  Philadelphia,  where  they  oc- 
casionally met,  and  indulged  in  agreeable  reminiscences  of  their 
youthful  pastimes,  especially  of  a  lofty  tree  on  which  an  eagle 
had  built  her  nest.  This  woman  now  lay  in  the  lowest  stage  of 
a  typhus  fever.  "Upon  entering  the  room,"  says  the  doctor,  "I 
caught  her  eye,  and  with  a  cheerful  tone  of  voice,  said  only, 
^  the  eaglets  nesi  f  She  seized  my  hand,  without  being  able  to 
speak,  and  discovered  strong  emotions  of  pleasure  in  her  coun- 


*  Encvclop.  Americ,  art.  Hohenlohe. 

t  RiisiiV  Introd.  Lrcturis:  Lect.  XI.  p.  263. 

\  Rees'  Cyclop.,  art.  Anger. 


CAUSES   OF   THE   BODILY   AGITATIONS.  I75 

tenance,  probably  from  a  sudden  association  of  all  her  early  do- 
mestic connections  and  enjoyments  with  the  words  I  had  uttered. 
From  that  time  she  began  to  recover.  She  is  now  living,  and 
seldom  fails,  when  we  meet,  to  salute  me  with  the  echo  of  '  the 
eagle's  nest  /'  "* 

A  respectable  physician  has  informed  me  of  a  practitioner  who 
went  so  far  as  to  discard  the  use  of  drugs,  and  substitute  in  lieu 
of  them  the  force  of  the  imagination  alone.  If  vomiting  was  de- 
sired, instead  of  administering  emetics,  he  took  his  seat  by  the 
patient,  and  himself  imitated,  like  a  fugleman,  all  the  pantomime 
of  a  person  under  the  influence  of  an  emetic.  He  heaved,  he 
retched,  he  made  wry  faces,  as  if  nauseated,  till  at  length  the 
patient,  through  the  sympathetic  operation  of  the  disgusting  ideas 
suggested,  was  affected  in  good  earnest.  No  tartar  nor  ipe- 
cacuanha could  have  produced  a  more  decided  effect.  This  will 
not  appear  surprising  when  it  is  borne  in  mind  that  one  of  Boer- 
haave's  pupils  felt  in  his  own  body  the  symptoms  of  every  disease 
on  which  the  professor  lectured. 

It  were  easy  to  multiply  instances  of  the  influence  of  the  mind 
upon  the  body  ;  those  already  cited  abundantly  suffice. 

It  cannot  have  escaped  the  attentive  reader  that  a  prominent 
part  has  been  assigned  to  the  condition  o(  the  Nerves  by  that 
most  careful  observer,  Mr.  Lyle.  Nor  is  it  to  be  omitted  that 
this  nervous  condition  ensued  immediately  upon  the  delivery 
of  pungent  and  stimulating  preaching  or  exhortation.  That  the 
character  of  the  addresses  in  general  was  hortatory,  vehement, 
and  impassioned,  is  confirmed  by  unanimous  testimony.f  Ser- 
mons on  the  practical  duties  of  religion  operated  as  a  quietus. 
Although  doctrinal  sermons  were  not  abandoned,  and  even  Mr. 
Stone  is  noted  as  having  preached  a  high  Calvinistic  sermon  on 
the  Perseverance  of  the  Saints,J  yet  as  a  general  thing,  the  posi- 
tion above  taken  is  undoubtedly  correct.  There  can  be  little 
doubt  that  even  the  didactic  discourses  delivered,  were  accom- 
panied with  fervent  and  warm  practical  applications,  while 
novelty  gave  zest  to  the  harangues  of  the  New  Lights.§ 


•  Rush's  Introd.  Ijcctures:   Lect.  XI.  p.  267. 

t  Eibl.  Report,  vol.  vi.,  p.  361. 

j  Stuart's  Rem.  No.  II.    McNemar,  p.  20.    Powers  p.  76. 

}  Lyle,  p.  109.     "  An  unsolemn  curiosity,"  he  calls  it. 


176  CAUSES   OF   THE   BODILY   AGITATIONS. 

The  style  of  the  discourses  varied  according  to  the  various 
dispositions  of  the  speakers.  It  is  impossible  to  find  any  par- 
ticular standard  to  w^hich  all  the  phenomena  can  be  reduced  as 
its  legitimate  effects.  Some  spoke  in  a  plain,  solemn  and  in- 
structive way  ;*  some  in  a  highly  decorated  style  ;t  and  others 
in  a  desultory,  incoherent,  but  lively  manner.J  There  was  one 
class  who  delighted  in  alarming  the  conscience  with  pictures  of 
terror,  and  launched  the  thunders  of  Sinai  with  unsparing  hand  ; 
of  this  sort  were  McGready,  Rannels,  Marshall,  Houston,  and 
McNemar.  McNemar  was  desultory,  but  interspersed  many 
good  remarks  ;  he  was  very  animated  and  impressive,  and 
exerted  all  his  powers,  both  in  preaching  and  singing.  He 
would  stamp  with  his  foot,  and  slap  the  Bible,  and  roar  "  Hell 
and  Damnation  !"  with  a  loud  voice.§  But  I  cannot  find  that 
this  style  of  preaching  was  the  most  effective.  It  was  such 
sermons  as  were  delivered  with  tenderness  and  tears  that 
elicited  the  deepest  emotions  among  the  audience.  The  greater 
the  pathos  of  the  speaker,  the  greater  was  the  ebullition  of  feel- 
ing ;  and  copious  floods  of  tears  weakened  and  prostrated  the 
corporeal  organization  to  such  a  degree,  as  to  prepare  it  for 
operations  beyond  the  ordinary  control  of  the  will.  The  views 
of  religious  truths  were  very  vivid,  and  overwhelming  to  the 
mind.  "  I  never  heard,"  says  Mr.  Lyle,  "  such  earnest  inquiry 
after  Christ."l|  So  keen  was  the  perception  of  sin  and  danger, 
that  many  were  driven  to  despairing  thoughts,  and  cried  aloud, 
"  I  am  lost !  I  am  gone  !  The  worst  sinner  in  the  world  !""([ 
Among  professors,  many  fell  ;  some  filled  with  consternation  for 
backsliding  ;  others  overcome  by  the  holiest  joy  ;  others  in  an 
agony  of  distress  for  the  condition  of  sinners.**  In  regard  to  the 
exhortations  delivered  by  such  as  had  fallen,  Mr.  Lyle  says, 
"  their  orations  consist  of  the  plain  and  essential  truths  of  the 
Gospel,  that  they  themselves  have  been  powerfully  convinced 
of,  but  they  speak  them  with  all  the  feeling  and  pathos  of  which 
human   nature,   affected   with   the   most   important   objects,  is 

capable."tt 

Much  of  this  agitation  and  tempest  of  feeling  was  merely  of  a 
dramatic  character,  and  not  the  effect  or  proof  of  piety,  being 


*  Lyle,  pp.  31,  66.        f  Lyle,  p.  35.         t  Lyle,  p.  40.        5  Lyle,  p.  41. 
II  Lyle,  p.  6.  1  Lyle,  2,  **  Lyle,  pp.  2,  5.     ft  Lyle,  p.  30, 


CAUSES   OF   THE    BODILY    AGITATIONS.  I77 

produced  by  nervous  excitement,  operating  through  the  sympa- 
thetic connection  of  the  mind  and  the  body.  The  spectacle  of 
women  fainting  was  not  uncommon  in  Drury  Lane,  under  the 
consummate  acting  of  Siddons.  The  same  love  of  excitement 
and  strong  sensations  which  attracted  crowds  to  the  tragic  sor- 
rows of  the  theatre,  no  doubt  drew  thousands  to  the  wild  scenes 
of  the  camp-meeting. 

The  falling  down  in  Kentucky  seems  to  have  been  a  species 
of  epilepsy,  which  is  a  nervous  disease  coming  in  sudden 
paroxysms.  Frequent  and  periodical  fits  of  fainting  are  very 
often  its  precursor,  easily  induced  in  persons  liable  to  hypochon- 
dria, hysteria,  or  lively  sensibility.  In  epilepsy  the  patient  falls 
suddenly,  commonly  with  a  cry,  sometimes  with,  sometimes 
without  a  premonitory  creeping  or  shivering  from  the  extremi- 
ties towards  the  vitals.  Different  parts  of  the  body  are  more  or 
less  convulsed.  To  this  succeed  insensibility,  a  short,  quiet 
breathing,  interrupted  by  groans,  foaming  of  the  mouth,  gnash- 
ing of  the  teeth,  distortion  and  staring  of  the  eyes,  and  a  loss  of 
control  over  the  will.  It  lasts  for  ten  or  twenty  minutes,  when 
the  patient  wakes,  unconscious  of  anything  but  fatigue  and  a 
little  pain  in  his  limbs. 

That  the  nervous  agitation  was  irrepressible  by  any  exercise  of 
volition  after  arriving  at  a  certain  point,  must  be  conceded ;  but 
there  is  every  reason  to  believe  that  in  its  incipient  stages,  before 
reaching  '•  the  salient  point,''''  they  were  subject  to  control.  The 
late  venerable  Dr.  Blythe,  as  he  informed  the  author,  once  felt 
an  attack  of  the  kind  coming  on,  from  the  effect  of  sympathy, 
like  a  pricking  sensation  in  his  extremities,  but  by  a  strong  de- 
termination of  will,  succeeded  in  repressing  its  farther  progress. 
He  was  a]so  able  to  check  the  agitations  in  his  congregation  at 
Pisgah  to  some  extent.  There  was  a  female  who  was  particu- 
larly accustomed  to  indulge  in  outcries  and  convulsions,  to  the 
disturbance  of  public  worship,  but  who  restrained  herself,  in 
consequence  of  his  decided  menaces  of  having  her  carried  out 
of  the  house  on  the  next  repetition  of  the  offence.  This  corre- 
sponds with  the  Rev.  Charles  Wesley's  experience.  The  noisiest 
of  his  auditors,  became,  in  consequence  of  similar  threats,  as 
quiet  as  lambs.*     About  the  year  1774,  swoons  and  convulsions 


*  SouUiey's  Life  of  Wesley,  p.  148,  149. 


178  CAUSES   OF   THE    BODILY   AGITATIONS. 

very  similar  to  those  in  Kentucky,  became  common  in  the  parish 
of  Northmaven,  among  the  Shetland  Islands,  fifty  or  sixty  being 
sometimes  seized  and  carried  out  of  the  church  on  sacramental 
occasions,  when  the  house  was  crowded,  and  struggling  and 
roaring  in  the  yard  for  five  or  ten  minutes,  when  they  would  rise 
in  perfect  unconsciousness  of  what  had  happened.  The  annoy- 
ance was  happily  put  an  end  to  by  a  rough  kirk-officer's  tossing 
a  particularly  troublesome  woman  into  a  ditch  of  water.  This 
unceremonious  treatment,  not  only  eflfectually  cooled  the  wo- 
man's own  zeal,  but  prevented  others  from  imitating  her  ex- 
ample.* 

The  incident  narrated  in  the  biographical  sketch  of  Mr.  Lyle 
may  also  be  adduced  as  a  proof  of  those  disorderly  transports  being 
subject  to  control ;  for  upon  his  decided  demand  of  silence  in  the 
house  of  God,  the  services  proceeded  without  farther  interrup- 
tion, notwithstanding  the  minister  of  the  place  gave  the  extrava- 
gances his  countenance,  and  expressed  great  displeasure  at  Mr. 
Lyle's  interference. 

Another  fact,  which  shows  the  possibility  of  self-control,  and 
that  "  the  spirits  of  the  prophets  were  subject  to  the  prophets," 
is  the  uniform  testimony  of  the  old  clergy,  that  in  those  congre- 
gations whose  ministers  discountenanced  the  extravagances, 
there  was  comparatively  little  disorder,  while  "  confusion  and 
every  evil  work"  abounded  where  they  received  the  encouraging 
patronage  of  the  pastor. 

Among  the  external  circumstances  which  were  supposed 
capable  of  checking  or  modifying  the  agitations,  the  conscious- 
ness of  approaching  maternity,  or  the  having  an  infant  in  the 
arms,  have  been  specified  ;t  but  this  last  cannot  be  so,  for  a 
highly  respectable  physicianj  informed  the  author  thjt  he  once 
saw  a  woman  with  an  infant  in  her  arms,  whom  curiosity  had  led  to 
mount  the  stand  for  the  sake  of  a  better  prospect,  but  who,  being 
suddenly  seized,  fell  backward  and  let  the  child  drop  from  her 
arms.  Fortunately  some  one  below  perceived  the  transaction, 
and  caught  the  infant  before  it  fell  to  the  gi'ound,  a  distance  of 
some  ten  feet,  so  that  it  sustained  no  injury. 

It  is  moreover  a  curious,  but  not  mysterious,  fact,  that  the 


*  Rees'  Cyclopedia,  art.  Imitation.  f  Powers,  p.  75. 

X  Dr.  Churchill  C.  Blackburn,  of  Woodford  county,  Ky. 


CAUSES    OF    THE    BODILY  AGITATIONS.  J  79 

leaders  could  manage  the  tumult,  increasing  or  diminishing  the 
frenzy  at  pleasure.  Dr.  Cleland  informs  us  of  experiments  made 
by  him  in  the  early  part  of  his  ministry.  In  the  midst  of  his 
discourse,  he  would  on  a  sudden  change  from  a  smooth  and 
gentle  style  to  the  expression  of  awful  and  alarming  ideas,  when 
a  dozen  or  twenty  persons  would  instantly  and  simultaneously 
commence  jerking  as  they  sat,  with  a  suppressed  noise,  once  or 
twice,  like  the  barking  of  a  dog.  As  the  strain  of  the  discourse 
varied,  the  condition  of  the  people  corresponded.  Riding  one 
day  with  the  wife  of  one  of  his  elders,  from  a  neighboring  town 
where  she  had  been  purchasing  goods,  he  secretly  resolved  to 
try  an  experiment  upon  her.  Although  she  had  been  affected 
with  the  jerks  on  previous  occasions,  she  was  at  this  moment 
entirely  free  from  them.  The  conversation  was  of  an  every- 
day character,  and  even  purposely  directed  into  a  free  and 
jocular  vein,  and  her  mind  was  completely  diverted  from  serious 
emotions.  All  at  once,  without  any  w^arning,  Dr.  Cleland  turned 
the  conversation  to  topics  of  a  devout  and  solemn  character. 
Before  two  minutes  had  elapsed,  her  body  began  to  be  vio- 
lently agitated,  pitching  upward  and  forward  from  the  saddle 
halfway  to  the  horse's  neck,  six  or  eight  times  in  a  minute.* 

The  rapid  propagation  of  these  convulsions  among  a  crowd 
by  Sympathy,  is  worthy  of  notice.  So  strong  were  the  belief 
and  fear  of  their  contagious  nature,  that  many  were  deterred 
from  attending  public  worship  in  consequence. f  A  few  shrieks 
were  sufficient  to  rouse  the  most  languid  assembly.  Mr.  Lyie 
narrates  an  instance  that  occurred  in  a  private  house  in  Paris, 
where  a  company  of  persons  sat  singing.  One  lady  falling,  a 
second  and  a  third  became  agitated,  then  three  little  girls,  and  a 
negro  woman.  J 

Medical  writers  furnish  us  with  numerous  examples  of  sym- 
pathetic or  imitative  influence.  Not  only  are  the  panics  of 
armies,  the  furies  of  mobs,  the  propensity  to  laugh  or  to  yawn, 
explained  by  this  principle ;  but  convulsions,  Chorea  Sancti 
Viti,  and  epilepsies,  have  been  known  to  be  propagated  in  this 
way.  All  the  children  in  a  poor-house  at  Haerlem,  were  seized 
with  fits  from  having  seen  one  of  their  number  so  attacked  ;  nor 


*  Bibl.  Rcpert.  vol.  vi.  p.  343.  f  Bibl.  Repert.  vol.  vi.  p.  344. 

I  Lyle,  p.  128. 


280  CAUSES    OF    THE    BODILY    AGITATIONS. 

could  any  stop  be  put  to  this  calamity,  until  Dr.  Boerhaave,  sa- 
gaciously interdicting  the  exhibition  of  medicine,  directed  his 
remedies  to  the  mind.  Having  introduced  several  portable  fur- 
naces, he  ordered,  with  great  solemnity,  that  certain  crooked 
irons  should  be  heated,  and  applied  to  the  arm  of  the  first  indivi- 
dual that  was  taken.  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  add  that  there 
was  no  necessity  for  the  application.* 

There  was  a  family  of  six  children  in  Chelmsford,  Massachu- 
setts, one  of  whom  being  afflicted  with  St.  Vitus's  dance,  the  rest 
imitated  his  gestures  for  sport,  until  they  came  to  be  as  irresisti- 
bly affected  as  he.  It  was  at  last  checked  by  their  father  pre- 
paring a  block  and  axe,  and  threatening  to  take  off  the  head  of 
the  first  transgressor,  the  original  sufferer  excepted.  The  result 
was  as  successful  as  in  the  former  case.f 

In  a  convent  of  French  nuns,  one  of  the  number  was  impelled 
by  a  strange  fancy  to  imitate  the  mewing  of  a  cat.  The  pro- 
pensity communicated  itself  to  the  rest,  and  became  universal 
among  the  sisterhood,  till  at  last  they  had  regular  hours  for 
joining  together  in  the  practice.  In  a  German  convent,  in  the 
fifteenth  century,  one  of  the  nuns  was  seized  with  a  disposition 
to  bite  her  companions,  and  the  whole  sisterhood  by  degrees 
caught  the  same  frenzy. J 

These  were  all  undoubted  examples  of  the  imagination  acting 
on  the  nervous  system  by  sympathy. 

Edwards  also  has  spoken  of  the  bodily  affections  of  his  time 
being  quickly  propagated  among  the  spectators,  especially  the 
young.§ 

We  have  already  seen  instances  of  the  force  of  sympathy  in 
religious  assemblies  in  the  references  made  to  the  experience  of 
Charles  Wesley,  and  the  convulsions  in  the  parish  of  North- 
maven.  To  these  we  may  add  the  wild  commotions  of  the 
French  Prophets,  about  the  year  1C88,  The  French  Prophets 
or  Camisardsll  appeared  in  the  mountains  of  the  Cevennes. 
among  the  descendants  of  the  Waldenses  and  Albigenses,  insti- 
gating them  to  resist  the  dragoons  and  fine-collectors  of  that 


*  Rees'  Cyclop,  art.  Imitation. 

t  Powers,  p.  32.  |  McGavin,  vol.  ii.  p.  735. 

6  Hodjre's  Const.  Hist.  Part  II.  p.  51. 

fl  So  called  from  disguising  themselves  in  a  frock  or  shirt,  (in  the  Italian . 
camicia.) 


CAUSES    OF    THE    BODILY    AGITATIONS.  JQl 

insane  persecutor,  Louis  XIV.  From  a  tew  hundreds,  the  num- 
ber soon  amounted  to  thousands,  of  both  sexes,  claiming  to  be 
inspired  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  When  about  to  receive  the  gift  of 
prophecy,  they  were  affected  in  a  manner  very  similar  to  the 
Kentucky  New  Lights,  trembling,  and  falling  down  in  swoons, 
striking  themselves  with  their  hands,  closing  their  eyes,  and 
heaving  their  breasts.  No  matter  where  they  were  when  the  fit 
came  on,  whether  in  their  assemblies,  in  their  houses,  or  in  the 
fields,  they  fell.  The  symptoms  have  been  compared  to  those 
attending  the  inhaling  of  nitrous  oxyde  gas.  They  lay  for  some 
time  in  trances,  during  which  they  had  visions  of  heaven,  hell, 
and  the  angels.  Their  effusions  consisted  of  alternate  cries  for 
"  Mercy  !"  imprecations  against  the  Pope,  and  predictions  of  his 
approaching  downfall.  They  boldly  declared  the  millennium, 
the  first  resurrection,  and  the  new  Jerusalem,  to  be  at  hand — 
attested  by  signs  and  wonders,  and  about  to  come  to  pass  in  the 
space  of  three  years.  They  pretended  to  the  gifts  of  tongues, 
of  healing,  and  even  of  raising  the  dead.  They  were,  after  an 
obstinate  struggle,  finally  put  down  by  force.*  A  few  fled  to 
England  and  succeeded  in  making  two  or  three  hundred  prose- 
lytes. They  were  disowned  by  the  French  refugees,  and  prose- 
cuted, at  their  instigation,  as  disturbers  of  the  peace. f 

Another  analogous  instance  of  epidemical  convulsions  oc- 
curred in  1742,  in  the  parish  of  Cambuslang,  Lanarkshire, 
Scotland.  A  powerful  and  extensive  revival  of  religion  pervaded 
the  parish  in  consequence  of  the  indefatigable  zeal  of  the  minis- 
ter, who  was  an  admirer  of  Whitefield.  Numbers  were  con- 
victed of  sin  under  his  preaching,  and  were  thrown  into  the 
greatest  agony  about  the  state  of  their  souls.  Not  only  did  they 
utter  the  most  piercing  cries,  their  bodies  were  violently  agitated, 
clapping  of  the  hands,  beating  of  the  breast,  shaking,  trembling, 
fainting,  convulsions,  and  sometimes  copious  bleeding  at  the 
nose,  attested  the  stormy  tumult  within.  The  minister  promoted 
the  uproar  by  urging  them  not  to  stifle  but  to  encourage  their 
convictions,  and  spent  most  of  the  night  in  exhorting  and  pray- 
ing WMth  them.  The  contagious  force  of  sympathy  was  evidently 
manifested  here.     The  shriek  or  the  shout  never  rose  from  one 


*  Relinf.  Encycl.  art.  Camisars.     Encycl.  Amcr.  art.  Cevennes. 
t  Smollett's  Hist,  of  Engl,  note  EE.  p.  916. 


182  CAUSES   OF    THE    BODILY    AGITATIONS. 

individual  without  others  joining  in  the  outcry,  in  the  same  or 
similar  words.* 

Bodily  agitations  have  not  been  without  repeated  precedents 
in  European  countries.  In  the  West  of  Scotland,  in  1G25,  many 
persons,  under  powerful  convictions  of  sin,  fell  down  and  were 
carried  out  of  the  church  ;  and  in  Ireland,  three  years  later, 
numbers  were  elevated  above  the  necessity  of  food  or  sleep.f 
So  late  as  1843,  falling  down  and  other  bodily  agitations  occur- 
red extensively  in  the  parish  of  St.  Kilda.J  Even  the  isles  of 
the  South  Pacific  have  not  been  strangers  to  the  same  phenom- 
ena. A  powerful  revival  occurred  in  1840  upon  the  island  of 
Tutuila,  under  the  missionaries  of  the  London  Missionary  Socie- 
ty, when,  besides  weeping,  and  groans,  and  "  dreadful  wailings," 
the  following  scene  occurred  during  public  worship: — "Women 
were  carried  out  by  dozens,  convulsed  and  struggling,  so  as  to 
drive  five  or  six  men  about  like  trees  in  the  wind,  who  were  ex- 
erting all  their  strength  to  hold  and  convey  them  away.  I  had 
heard  of  beating  breasts  and  tearing  htiir  before,  but  I  have  now 
seen  and  shall  not  soon  forget  it.  The  w^eaker  sex  was  not  alone 
affected  ;  many  men  were  carried  out  lifeless  as  stones,  and 
many  could  scarcely  be  removed  because  of  their  awful  convul- 
sive strugglings.  .  .  .  When  quietness  was  regained,  the  re- 
mainder of  the  people  drew  up  towards  the  pulpit,  and  the 
chapel,  which  had  been  overflowing  before,  was  left  nearly  one- 
third  empty.§ 

The  early  career  of  John  Wesley  was  marked  by  great  dis- 
orders, as  appears  from  his  Journals.  He  records  numerous 
instances  of  persons  dropping  to  the  ground  under  preaching, 
"  as  if  struck  with  lightning ;"  ten  or  a  dozen  praying  at  once  ; 
dreams,  visions,  and  other  vagaries.]!  These  things  Mr.  Wesley 
was,  at  first,  disposed  to  ascribe  to  supernatural  agency,  some- 
times divine,  sometimes  satanic  ;T[  but  his  opinions  afterward 
underwent  a  change,  and  he  censured  these  excesses  as  "  bring- 
ing the  real  work  into  contempt."** 


*  Rees'  Cyclop,  art.  Imitation, 
t  Fleming's  Fulfilling  of  Scripture,  pp.  185,  186. 
t  Presbyt.  vol.  xiii.  p.  147. 
§  Miss.  Her.  vol.  xlii.  p.  103. 

II  Warburton's   Doctr.  of  Grace,  vol.  i.  pp.  106,  108,  109;  vol.  ii.  pp.43, 
46,  58,  63,  66.     Powers,  p.  89.     Hodge,  Part  II.  p.  90. 

IT  Doctr.  of  Grace,  vol.  i.  p.  109 ;  vol.  ii.  p.  63.         **  Powers,  p.  90. 


CAUSES    OF    THE    BODILY    AGITATIONS.  183 

The  revivals  which  took  place  in  1735  and  1742,  of  which 
the  elder  Edwards  has  given  so  full  and  luminous  an  account, 
were  accompanied  with  similar  bodily  agitations  to  those  wit- 
nessed in  Kentucky.  There  were  repeated  instances  of  faint- 
ing, falling,  trance's,  numbness,  convulsions,  and  outcries.*  Some 
even  lost  their  reason.f  He  narrates  the  surprising  conversions 
of  two  children,  one  nine,  the  other  only  four,  years  old.J 
There  were  not  wanting,  but  in  a  less  degree,  examples  of 
several  speaking  or  crying  out  at  once  ;  of  undue  reliance  on 
direct  impressions  made  on  the  imagination,  (as  visions  of  a 
bleeding  Christ  or  a  blazing  hell ;)  of  neglect  of  external  order ; 
of  more  freedom  than  usual  in  the  intercourse  between  the 
sexes  ;  of  spiritual  pride  ;  of  a  censorious  disposition  ;  of  angry 
controversy  ;  of  divided  churches  ;  of  fanatical  presumption  ;  of 
false  theology  ;  of  spurious  conversions ;  of  apostacies  ])y  thou- 
sands ;  which  led  to  a  subsequent  lethargy  of  half  a  century.§ 
"  Select,"  says  the  historian  of  The  Great  Awakening,  "  ten 
places,  where  the  revivals  were  the  most  pure,  and  orderly,  and 
unexceptionable.  The  occun-ence  of  ten  such  revivals  now,  in 
orthodox  churches  under  the  guidance  of  pastors  of  good  repute, 
would  fill  the  land  with  consternation.  It  is  no  wonder  that 
good,  judicious,  sober  men  were  alarmed  ;  that  they  thought  the 
conversion  of  some  hundreds  or  thousands  had  been  purchased 
at  too  dear  a  rate  ;  that  they  pronounced  the  revival  a  source 
of  more  evil  than  good  ;  and,  on  the  whole,  itself  an  evil."  .  . 
There  was,  indeed,  abundant  cause  to  apprehend  evil,  and  to  be 
active  in  opposing  it,  and  setting  bounds  to  its  progress.  In  this 
work,  Edwards  lamented  that  he  had  not  dared,  in  the  earlier 
stages  of  the  revival,  to  do  what  he  afterward  saw  to  have  been 
his  duty,  lest  he  should  do  mischief."  But  Edwards,  though  the 
ardent  apologist  of  those  revivals,  was  careful  to  discriminate 
between  genuine  and  spurious  marks  of  grace ;  and  while  he 
admitted  that  deep,  religious  emotions,  like  strong  emotions  of 
any  other  kind,  might  afiect  the  body,  as  in  the  case  of  Daniel, 


*  Edwards  on  Revivals,  pp.  138,  248. 

t  Ibid.  p.  131.  I  Ibid.  pp.  46,  97. 

5  Ibid.  pp.  256,  270,  292,  319,  327,  336,  351.  Tracy's  Great  Awakening,  pp. 
432,  433.  Hodge's  Const.  Hist.  Part  U.  pp.  41,  49,  60,  65,  68,  69,  86, 
108,  115. 


184  CAUSES    OF    THE    BODILY   AGITATIONS. 

Habbakuk,  and  John,  he  discouraged  reliance  on  them  as  essen- 
tial evidence  of  a  gracious  state.* 

It  is  worthy  of  note,  that  in  consequence  of  the  sedulous  care 
of  the  clergy,  and  owing  to  the  wholesome  warnings  of  Ed- 
wards' narratives,  the  extensive  revival  with  which  New  Eng- 
land was  blessed  about  the  years  1797  and  1800,  contempo- 
raneously with  that  in  the  western  country,  was  deformed  by 
none  of  the  excesses  or  improprieties  which  had  exposed  the 
revival  of  1742  to  reproach.f 

Converging  into  one  focal  point  the  scattered  rays  from  so 
many  quarters,  the  conclusion  to  which  we  arrive  is  briefly  as 
follows : — That  we  must  seek  an  explanation  of  the  phenomena 
exhibited  in  Kentucky  at  the  commencement  of  the  present  cen- 
tury, in  THE  Influence  of  the  Imagination  upon  the  Nervous 
System,  originally  stimulated  by  earnest  hortatory  preaching, 
venting  itself  in  vehement  ebullitions  of  Animal  Excitement, 
and  easily  propagated  by  the  natural  operation  of  the  laws  of 
Sympathy  ;  in  all  which  there  was  nothing  peculiar  or  unpre- 
cedented, except  the  greatness  of  the  masses  affected,  and  the 
novelty  or  oddity  of  some  of  the  motions  introduced. 

As  to  the  errors  and  irregularities  of  the  time,  while  they  are 
to  be  deplored,  yet  must  considerable  allowance  be  made  in 
the  judgment  of  charity.  After  so  great  a  deadness  and  so  long 
a  spiritual  dearth  as  had  prevailed,  we  should  not  be  surprised 
to  find,  on  people's  first  waking  up  from  such  a  state,  that  they 
who  had  previously  known  little  or  nothing  of  the  operations  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  should  fall  into  many  errors,  or  mistake  every 
strong  enthusiastic  impulse  for  a  divine  impression.  The 
remarks  of  Edwards  are  very  applicable  here  :  "  If  we  look 
back,"  says  he,  "  into  the  history  of  the  Church  of  God  in  past 
ages,  we  may  observe  that  it  has  been  a  common  device  of  the 
devil  to  overset  a  revival  of  religion,  when  he  finds  he  can  keep 
men  quiet  and  secure  no  longer,  then  to  drive  them  to  excesses 
and  extravagances.  He  holds  them  back  as  long  as  he  can,  but 
when  he  can  do  it  no  longer,  then  he  will  push  them  on,  and,  if 
possible,  run  them  upon  their  heads."     And   again  :  "  the  devil 


•  lb.  p.  248.     Treatise  on  the  Affections,  (Bost.  ed.  1768,)  pp.  49-54. 
t  Connecticut  Evang.  Mag.  vol.  ii.    Powers,  p.  73.    Baird's  Relig.  in  Amer. 
p.  200. 


CAUSES    OF    THE    BODILY    AGITATIONS.  195 

has  driven  the  pendulum  far  beyond  its  proper  point  of  rest ;  and 
when  he  has  carried  it  to  the  utmost  length  that  he  can,  and  it 
begins  by  its  own  weight  to  swing  back,  he  probably  will  set  in, 
and  drive  it  with  the  utmost  fury  the  other  way,  and  so  give  us 
no  rest,  and  if  possible  prevent  our  settling  in  a  proper 
medium."* 

From  the  revolting  excesses  and  irregularities  that  accompa- 
nied the  Revival,  let  us  turn  to  a  more  pleasing  aspect  of  the 
case,  and  inquire  into  its  Beneficial  Results.  That  it  was 
attended  by  beneficial  consequences,  especially  during  the^earlier 
stages  of  its  progress,  is  undeniable.  Whether  that  good  was 
of  sufficient  weight  to  counterbalance  the  varied  evils  intro- 
duced, is  a  question  not  so  easily  settled.  If  the  good  was 
general  and  permanent,  and  the  evils  only  incidental, — such  as 
the  sweeping  away  offences  and  dams  by  a  deluge  of  rain  after 
a  long  and  distressing  drought, — a  judicious  discrimination  will 
easily  overlook  the  lesser  evil ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  if  the  evil 
be  found  to  be  extensive  and  enduring,  and  the  good  limited  and 
partial,  sincere  regrets  will  be  awakened  in  every  pious  heart. 

Besides  numerous  genuine  conversions,  doubtless  occurring 
through  the  whole  course  of  the  Revival,  its  commencement 
was  marked  with  a  splendor  of  success  that  dazzled  while  it 
enchanted  the  observer.  The  late  Dr.  George  Baxter  of  Vir- 
ginia, then  a  young  man,  visited  Kentucky  in  October,  1801, 
and  spent  a  month  in  attendance  on  the  meetings,  and  in  inter- 
course with  the  leading  clergy.f  He  afterwards  communicated 
an  account  of  what  he  had  witnessed  in  a  letter  to  his  friend 
Dr.  Archibald  Alexander.^  This  letter  was  published  in  the 
religious   magazines   of    the  day,   and    attracted   considerable 


*  Edwards  on  Revivals,  pp.  264,  368. 

+  Jjyle  records  his  preaching' at  SRiem  Sacrament  the  last  Sabbath  of  Oct., 
and  at  Jessamine  the  1st  Sabbath  of  Nov.,  1801,  when  "people  were  tolerably 
lively."     Di^ry,  pp.  56,  nl. 

I  This  letter  was  written  shortly  after  his  visit  to  Kentucky,  and  before  the 
results  of  the  revival  could  be  accuratelv  traced.  Dr.  Baxter  afterwards  changed 
his  opinion  in  regard  to  many  thinjjs  of  which  he  at  first  pronounced  a  favorable 
judpfment.  lie  came  to  the  conclusion  thnt  there  was  much  that  was  false, 
erratic,  and  unholy,  in  the  manner  of  condiictinnf  the  work  ;  and  it  was  his  inten- 
tion to  publisli  an  explanation  of  his  views,  especially  when  he  found  the  New 
York  Evangelist  a  few  years  ago  republishing  his  letter,  in  su[)port  of  New 
Measures.  This  intention,  which  he  communicated  to  Dr.  Alexander,  was, 
however,  defented  bv  his  death.  See  a  letter  of  the  last-named  divine  in  the 
Presbyterian  for  Sept.  26,  1846. 


186  CAUSES   OF    THE   BODILY   AGITATIONS. 

attention.  From  some  quarters  the  position  of  the  writer  was 
sharply  controverted,  and  drew  forth  from  him  a  warm  defence. 
The  description  which  he  gave  of  the  reformation  of  manners 
after  the  deplorable  prevalence  of  vice  and  infidelity,  is  very 
striking : 
")  "  On  my  way  to  Kentucky,"  says  Mr.  Baxter,  "  I  was  informed 
by  settlers  on  the  road,  that  the  character  of  Kentucky  travel- 
lers was  entirely  changed  :  and  that  they  were  now  as  remark- 
able for  sobriety  as  they  had  formerly  been  for  dissoluteness 
and  immorality.  And  indeed  I  found  Kentucky,  to  appearance, 
the  most  moral  place  I  had  ever  seen.  A  profane  expression 
was  hardly  ever  heard,  A  religious  awe  seemed  to  pervade  the 
country  ;  and  some  deistical  characters  had  confessed,  that  from 
whatever  cause  the  revival  might  proceed,  it  made  the  people 
better.  Its  influence  was  not  less  visible  in  promoting  a 
friendly  temper  among  the  people,  .  .  .  Some  neighborhoods 
visited  by  the  revival  were  formerly  notorious  for  private  ani- 
mosities and  contentions ;  and  many  petty  lawsuits  had  com- 
menced on  that  ground.  When  the  parties  in  these  quarrels 
were  impressed  with  religion,  the  first  thing  was  to  send  for 
their  antagonists,  and  it  was  often  very  aflfecting  to  see  their 
meeting.  They  had  both  seen  their  faults,  and  both  contended 
they  ought  to  make  the  acknowledgments,  till  at  last  they  were 
obliged  to  request  one  another  to  forbear  all  mention  of  the  past, 
and  to  receive  each  other  as  friends  and  brothers  for  the 
future."* 

Dr.  Furman  of  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  in  a  letter  to  Dr. 
Rippon  of  London,  dated  Aug.  11th,  1802,  expressed  his  senti- 
ments in  regard  to  the  camp-meetings  as  follows  :  "  I  hope  the 
direct  good  obtained  from  these  meetings  will  much  more  than 
counterbalance  the  incidental  em7."f 

In  June,  1803,  Mr.  Lyle,  who  will  not  be  suspected  of  too 
favorable  a  bias,  was  present  at  a  sacramental  meeting  at 
Paris  which  was  far  from  being  free  from  the  usual  extrava- 
gances, and  where  he  delivered  a  sermon  of  two  hours'  length 
upon  the  subject  of  order  and  many  praying  at  once.     Yet  of  an 


*  West.  Miss.  Mag.  vol.  i,  pp.  260,  261.     Connecticut  Evang.  Mag.  180i 
vol.  ii.  p.  354. 
■f  Benedict's  Hist,  of  the  Baptists,  vol.  ii.  p.  m. 


CAUSES    OF    THE    BODILY    AGITATIONS.  187 

address  he  made  subsequently  he  remarks,  "  I  told  them  what 
satisfaction  it  gave  me  to  find  so  many  who  set  out  two  years  ago 
now  fervently  engaged,  &c.  Urged  them  to  diligence  at  home 
and  in  every  walk  of  life."* 

The  venerable  David  Rice  in  his  "  Second  Epistle"  to  the 
Christians,  especially  to  the  Presbyterians,  of  Kentucky,  pub- 
lished in  1808,  whose  testimony  is  likewise  the  more  weighty  on 
account  of  his  open  and  consistent  opposition  to  the  novel  mea- 
sures employed,  penned  this  paragraph  in  the  midst  of  a 
rehearsal  of  the  evils  he  condemned  :  "  That  we  had  a  revival 
of  the  spirit  and  power  of  Christianity  amongst  us,  I  did,  do,  and 
ever  shall  believe,  until  I  see  evidence  to  the  contrary,  which  I 
have  not  yet  seen  ;  but  we  have  sadly  mismanaged  it ;  we  have 
dashed  it  down  and  broken  it  in  pieces.  Though  I  hope 
a  number  will  have  reason  to  bless  Godfor  it  to  all  eternity,  yet  we 
have  not  acted  as  wise  master-builders,  who  have  no  need  to  be 
ashamed."t 

The  opinion  of  the  General  Assembly  of  1804  is  not  to  be 
disregarded.  They  say,  in  the  Narrative  of  the  State  of  Reli- 
gion, that  "  although  through  the  subtlety  of  the  adversary  of 
souls,  and  the  influence  of  human  frailty,  some  errors,  extrava- 
gances, and  instances  of  reproachful  behavior,  have  taken 
place,  which  the  Assembly  do  sincerely  regret,  and  most  une- 
quivocally disapprove  and  condemn  ;  yet  are  they  happy  to 
learn,  and  it  is  a  sacred  duty,  which  they  owe  to  the  churches 
to  announce,  that,  notwithstanding  the  malignity  with  which  the 
enemies  of  religion  have  studied  to  misrepresent,  and  rejoiced 
to  exaggerate  these  undesirable  events,  they  are  chiefly  con- 
fined to  one  district  of  no  great  extent ;  and  they  are  certainly 
very  rare,  considering  the  immense  region  through  which  this 
work  has  prevailed,  and  the  vast  variety  of  characters  who  have 
been  its  subJects.^^X 

To  all  this  may  be  added  the  testimony  of  Dr.  Cleland,  in  a 
paper  prepared  by  him  and  published  in  the  Biblical  Repertory 
and  Princeton  Review  in  1834.  After  the  lapse  of  thirty  years, 
when  he  could  take  a  cool  and  dispassionate  review  of  those 

*  Lyle's  Diary,  p.  131. 
f  Bishop's  Mem.  of  Rice,  p.  367. 

j  Serious  Address  from  the  Synod  of  Kentucky  to  the  Churches  under  their 
care,  1804,  p.  14. 


188  CAUSES   OF   THE   BODILY   AGITATIONS. 

exciting  scenes  in  which  he  had  himself  been  an  actor,  he 
recorded  as  follows  :  "  The  work,  at  first,  was  no  doubt  a  glo- 
rious work  of  the  Spirit  of  God.  .  .  .  Many  persons  within 
my  knowledge  became  hopefully  pious,  the  most  of  whom  con- 
tinue unto  the  present,  and  many  have  fallen  asleep  in  Jesus. 
The  number  of  apostates  were  much  fewer  than  might  be  supposed. 
Indeed,  when  I  look  back  on  those  times,  I  greatly  wonder  that 
there  were  not  ten  for  one.  The  Presbyterian  Church  suffered 
greatly,  lost  many  members,  more  ministers  proportionably,  than 
others  ;  but  she  continued  unconsumed,  and  was  much  better 
prepared,  by  practical  knowledge,  and  dear-bought  experience, 
for  the  next  revival  than  she  was  before."* 

The  sentiments  of  Mr.  Marshall  on  this  subject,  recorded  in  a 
calm  moment  of  retrospective  reflection,  will  not  be  considered 
as  out  of  place.  He  says,  "  While  we  have  no  doubt  but  the  revi- 
val was  a  real,  and  in  some  respects,  a  great  work  of  the  Divine 
Spirit,  yet  it  produced,  perhaps,  much  less  good  fruit  than  most 
other  revivals  of  the  same  extent."f 

Mr.  McGready's  opinion  may  be  worth  adding,  although  it 
detracts  much  from  its  weight  that  he  published  a  "  Vindication 
of  the  Exercises  of  the  Revival,"  and  excused,  where  he  did  not 
defend,  the  falling  down  and  cramp,  the  shrieks  and  outcries, 
the  boisterous  confusion  "after  worship,"  the  dancing  and  wheel- 
ing, the  smiling  and  laughing.  J  But  he  furnishes  also  more 
rational  and  scriptural  tests  of  the  genuineness  of  the  work,  when 
he  states  the  permanent  effects  to  have  been  "  a  deep,  rational, 
and  scriptural  conviction ;  a  view  of  the  glory,  sufficiency,  and 
willingness  of  Christ  to  save  ;  a  loving,  benevolent  disposition ; 
a  knowledge  of  Christ  and  divine  things ;  and  a  change  in  the 
hearts  and  lives  of  the  genuine  subjects  of  the  word."§ 

Finally,  the  sentiments  of  the  venerable  Dr.  Alexander,  recent- 
ly published,  and  matured  after  so  long  an  interval  of  time,  will 
not  be  read  without  interest.  "  Many  facts,"  says  he,  '•  which 
occurred  at  the  close  of  the  revival,  were  of  such  a  nature,  that 
judicious  men  were  fully  persuaded  that  there  was  much  that 
was  wrong  in  the  manner  of  conducting  the  work,  and  that  an 
erratic  and  enthusiastic  spirit  prevailed  to  a  lamentable  extent. 


*Bib].  Repert.  vol.  vi.  pp.  337,  341.  t  Marshall's  MSS. 

t Posthumous  Works,  pp.  461-458.  §Posth.  Works,  p.  453. 


CAUSES   OF   THE   BODILY   AGITATIONS.  189 

It  is  not  doubted,  however,  that  the  Spirit  of  God  was  really 
poured  out,  and  that  many  sincere  converts  were  made,  especially 
in  the  commencement  of  the  revival ;  but  too  much  indulgence 
was  given  to  a  heated  imagination,  and  too  much  stress  was  laid 
on  the  bodily  affections  which  accompanied  the  work,  as  though 
these  were  supernatural  phenomena,  intended  to  arouse  the 
attention  of  a  careless  worrd.  Thus,  what  was  really  a  bodily 
infirmity,  was  considered  to  be  a  supernatural  means  of  awaken- 
ing and  convincing  infidels  and  other  irreligious  persons.  And 
the  more  these  bodily  affections  were  encouraged,  the  more  they 
increased,  until  at  length  they  assumed  the  appearance  of  a  for- 
midable nervous  disease,  which  was  manifestly  contagious,  as 
might  be  proved  by  many  well-attested  facts.  Some  of  the  dis- 
astrous results  of  this  religious  excitement  were  :  1st.  Jl  spirit  of 
error,  which  led  many,  among  whom  were  some  Presbyterian 
ministers,  who  had  before  maintained  a  good  character,  far 
astray.  2d.  A  spirit  of  schism.  3d.  ^  spirit  of  wild  enthusiasm. 
And  the  truth  is — and  it  should  not  be  concealed — that  the 
general  result  of  this  great  excitement  was  an  almost  total  deso- 
lation of  the  Presbyterian  Churches  in  Kentucky,  and  part  of  6  '**  ''^ 

Tennessee.*  ^ 

How  obvious,  on  the  review  of  such  histories  as  the  preceding, 
is  the  mixture  of  imperfection  that  stains  everything  human! 
The  head  may  be  of  gold,  but  the  observant  eye  cannot  fail  to 
detect  the  deterioration  of  the  baser  extremities,  part  of  iron  and  * 

part  of  clay.  Truly  is  the  treasure  said  to  be  committed  to 
earthen  vessels,  that  the  excellency  of  the  power  may  evidently 
be  of  God  and  not  of  man  ;  and  there  was  deep  meaning  couched 
under  that  wise  provision  of  the  Mosaic  ritual,  which  required 
an  atonement  to  be  made  for  the  very  altar.  The  Church  may 
learn,  from  these  lessons  of  the  past,  the  wisdom  of  the  apostle's 
advice  to  exercise  great  caution  in  the  employment  of  novices ; 
the  danger  of  new  measures  and  fancied  improvements ;  the 
mischiefs  of  zeal  without  knowledge,  and  enthusiasm  without 
order ;  the  evil  of  false  charity  and  forbearance ;  the  duty  of 
early  resistance  to  insidious  errors,  and  of  crushing  the  young 
cockatrice  in  the  shell;  and  the  value  of  firmness  and  decision 
in  the  exercise  of  discipline. 

*  Dr.  Alexander's  Letter  to  the  Editor  of  the  Watchman  and  Observer,  dated 
Sept.  5th,  1846,  and  republished  in  the  Presbyterian  of  Sept.  26th,  1846. 
13 


CHAPTER    VIII 


THE    NEW    LIGHT    SCHISM. 

The  management  of  the  revival  having  gradually  fallen  under 
the  complete  control  of  those  who  proved  the  enemies  of  truth 
and  order,  the  dissatisfaction  of  the  orthodox  became  more  and 
more  visible,  and  a  division  into  two  clearly  defined  parties  was 
the  inevitable  result.  To  these  parties  were  given  by  the  former, 
the  names  of  Revival  and  Anti-Revival  men.*  By  the  latter 
opprobrious  title,  the  enthusiasts  stigmatized  the  friends  of  ortho- 
doxy, and  sought  to  make  them  odious  in  the  eyes  of  the  people  ; 
nor  is  it  to  be  denied  that  to  a  great  extent  they  succeeded. 
The  contagion  of  enthusiasm  is  irresistible,  and  the  tumultuous 
multitude  are  easily  carried  away  by  the  appearance  of  zeal. 
They  themselves  began  to  be  known  familiarly  by  the  epithet 
JVeto  Lights. 

Mr.  Lyle  and  others  at  first  contented  themselves  with  private 
expostulations  with  the  leaders  of  the  party,  and  with  guarded 
cautions  in  their  public  addresses  respecting  the  necessity  of 
decorum  ;  but  good  Father  Rice  thought  something  more  decid- 
ed was  necessary.  Accordingly,  at  a  sacrament  at  Walnut 
Hill,  the  first  Sabbath  of  August,  1801,  besides  "  exhorting 
powerfully  against  noise  and  false  exercise,"  he  invited  the 
ministers  present  to  convene  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Crawford,  the 
pastor.  There  he  read  to  them  a  paper  of  which  mention  has 
been  made  before.  But  from  his  views  the  leaders  of  the  Revi- 
val or  New  Light  party,  Messrs.  Crawford,!  Marshall,  Stone, 


•  Stuart's  Rem.  No.  IT.    W.  Presb.  Her.  vol.  vi.  No.  23 

fMr.  Crawford's  death  shortly  after,  in  March,  1803,  prevented  that  open 
avowal  of  his  sympathy  with  the  New  Lights  which  he  undoubtedly  felt.  Lyle's 
Diary,  p.  15.     Stuart's  Rem.  No.  II.     W.  Presb.  Her.  vol.  vi.  No.  23. 


> 


THE   NEW   LIGHT   SCHISM.  jgj 

Thompson,  Dunlavy,  and  McNemar,  vehemently  dissented  ;  and 
wherever  they  went,  failed  not  to  misrepresent  him,  and  those 
who  agreed  with  him,  as  opposers  of  the  revival.  While  the 
sober-minded  and  judicious  were  thus  more  and  more  alienated, 
they  gathered  round  them  all  those  who  were  of  an  enthusiastic 
temperament,  who  loved  to  be  free  from  restraint  and  control, 
and  who  labored  under  the  delusion  that  to  oppose  the  extraor- 
dinary and  apparently  preternatural  movements,  was  to  quench 
the  Spirit.* 

Meanwhile,  the  Synod  of  Kentucky  had  been  erected.  The 
first  meeting  was  held,  agreeably  to  the  direction  of  the  General 
Assembly,  in  the  Presbyterian  Church,  in  Lexington,  on  Tuesday, 
October  ]Ath,  1802.  Mr.  Rice  preached  the  opening  sermon 
and  was  immediately  after  elected  Moderator.  Mr.  Marshall 
was  chosen  Clerk.  The  number  of  members  present  was  thirty, 
of  whom  seventeen  were  ministers  and  thirteen  elders.  The 
total  number  of  ministers  within  the  bounds  was  thirty-seven. 
The  majority  of  Transylvania  Presbytery  were  absent,  including 
the  whole  of  the  Green  river  ministers.  As  it  may  be  gratifying 
to  some  readers  to  know  the  individuals  who  constituted  the 
Synod  at  this  period,  their  names  are  here  recorded. 

OF  THE   PRESBYTERY  OF  TRANSYLVANIA.  ^t-» 

Ministers. — Present. — David  Rice,  Saml.  Finley,  Matt.  Hous- 
ton, Saml.  Robertson,  Archd.  Camei'on. 

Jihsent. — Thomas  Craighead,  Terah  Templin,  James  Balch, 
James  McGready,  Wm.  Hodge,  Jno.  Bowman,  Wm.  McGee, 
Jno.  Rankin,  Saml.  Donald,  Wm.  Mahon,  Saml.  McAdow,  Jno. 
Howe,  James  Vance,  Jerem.  Abel. 

Elders. — Andrew  Wallace,  James  Bigham,  Court  Voris, 
[Voorhees.] 

OF  the  presbytery  of  west  LEXINGTON. 

Ministers. — Present. — James  Crawford,  Saml.  Shannon,  Isaac 
Tull,  Robt.  Marshall,  James  Blythe,  James  Welch,  Joseph  P. 
Howe,  Saml.  Rannels,  John  Lyle,  Wm.  Robinson. 

Absent. — Barton  W.  Stone. 

Elders. — James  Bell,  Robt.  Maffet,  Malcolm  Worley,  Wm. 

*  Stuart's  Rem.  No.  II.     West.  Presb.  Herald,  vol.  vi.  No.  23. 


192  THE    NEW   LIGHT   SCHISM. 

Scott,  Joseph  Walker,  Wm.  McConnel,  Saml.  Hayden,  Wm. 

Henry. 

OF  THE  PRESBYTERY  OF  WASHINGTON. 

Ministers. — Present. — James    Kemper,    John   P.    Campbell, 
Riclid.  McNemar,  John  Thompson,  Jno.  Dunlavy. 
Absent. — John  E.  Finley,  Matt.  G.  Wallace. 
Elders. — Robt.  Gill,  Jno.  Campbell. 

The  Synod  was  composed  of  the  three  Presbyteries  of  Tran- 
sylvania, West  Lexington,  and  Washington.  During  the  session, 
the  Presbytery  of  Cumberland  was  set  off  from  Transylvania.* 

At  the  second  meeting  of  the  Synod  in  Lexington,  Sept.  6, 
1803, f  several  petitions,  with  sundry  other  papers,  were  laid 
before  Synod,  drawing  their  attention  to  the  fact  that  erroneous 
doctrines  were  promulgated  by  Messrs.  McNemar  and  Thomp- 
son. The  whole  subject  was  brought  up  for  final  consideration 
on  the  review  of  the  records  of  Washington  Presbytery,  to 
which  they  belonged.  From  the  report  of  the  Committee  of 
Review,  it  appears,  that  the  Presbytery  had  cast  under  the  table 
a  petition  from  Lamme  and  others,  (amounting  to  eighty  in  all,) 
inculpating  the  orthodoxy  of  Messrs,  McNemar  and  Thompson, 
and  had  taken  no  farther  notice  of  it,  although  involving  matters 
of  the  greatest  importance.  Even  on  the  supposition  that  the 
implications  were  believed  to  be  groundless,  it  was  due  to  those 
two  ministers  to  give  them  an  opportunity  to  vindicate  their 
characters,  and  to  expose  their  calumniators.  But,  on  the  con- 
trary, so  far  from  taking  this  correct  and  constitutional  course, 
the  case  presented  a  still  worse  aspect.  It  appeared  that,  at  a 
former  session,  McNemar  had  been  convicted  upon  an  orderly 
examination,  of  holding  Arminian  tenets,  and  for  this  stood  con- 
demned on  the  minutes ;  yet,  notwithstanding  this  fact,  and  the 
petitions  against  him,  the  Presbytery  allowed  a  call  to  be  placed 
in  his  hands.J 

Some  discussion  arose  whether  two  out  of  three  Presbyte- 


•  Minutes  of  Synod  of  Ky.,  vol.  i.  p.  1-3.  \  Min.  of  Synod,  i.  15. 

J  Min.  of  Synod,  i.  pp.  16,  17,  18.  Min.  Wash.  Pby,  pp.  78-81.  Synod's 
Circular,  p.  15.  The  apparent  inconsistency  of  the  Presbytery's  proceedings  is 
explained  by  the  fact,  tliat  at  the  latter  meeting,  Mr.  McNemar's  friends  consti- 
tuted the  majority.     Synod's  Circular,  p.  18. 


THE    xMEW    LIGHT    SCHISM.  I93 

ries,  in  case  of  the  reprehension  of  the  third,  could  form  a  quorum 
to  do  business;  but  the  question  being  decided  afRrmatively, 
Synod  proceeded  to  consider  the  matter  before  them.  The 
conclusions  they  arrived  at  were  as  follows :  They  approved 
the  Presbytery's  examination  of  McNemar,*  and  their  publica- 
tion to  the  churches  of  the  dangerous  and  unconstitutional  char- 
acter of  his  tenets ;  and  they  pronounced  them  not  orderly,  in 
making  appointments  for  him  at  the  same  session  in  which  they 
had  censured  him,  in  rejecting  the  petition  of  Lamme  and  others, 
and  in  permitting  a  call  to  be  issued  to  Mr.  McNemar  while  he 
lay  under  a  vote  of  censure. f 

Synod  now  proposed  to  enter  on  an  examination  and  trial  of 
Messrs.  McNemar  and  Thompson,  agreeably  to  the  prayer  of 
the  petitioners.  On  Saturday,  pending  the  discussion,  Messrs. 
Marshall,  Stone,  McNemar,  Thompson,  and  Dunlavy,  offered  a 
protest  against  the  forementioned  decisions  in  the  case  of  Wash- 
ington Presbytery  ;  and  a  declaration  that  they  withdrew  from 
the  jurisdiction  of  Synod.  The  paper  was  spread  on  the 
minutes. J 

Messrs.  Cameron,  Campbell,  and  Joseph  P.  Howe,  were  ap- 
pointed a  committee  to  write  to  Lamme  and  his  co-petitioners, 
assuring  them  of  the  Synod's  strict  adherence  to  the  Confession 
of  Faith,  and  touching  such  other  points  as  were  necessary. 
Messrs.  Rice,  Houston,  and  Welch,  to  whom  was  afterwards 
added  Joseph  P.  Howe,  were  appointed  a  committee  to  confer 
with  the  seceding  brethren,  and  reclaim  them.§ 

Aroused  to  the  necessity  of  more  faithfully  indoctrinating  the 
churches.  Synod  next  appointed  Messrs.  Blythe,  Lyle,  and  Stu- 
art, a  committee  to  pray  leave  of  the  General  Assembly  to  have 
printed,  for  the  use  of  the  West,  a  thousand  copies  of  Robert 
Aitkin's  edition  of  the  Confession  of  Faith  in  1799.  In  conse- 
quence of  this  request,  a  number  of  copies  were  subsequently 
sent  by  the  Assembly,  and  distributed  at  the  price  of  one  dollar 
each;  the  balance  remaining  on  hand,  in  1805,  were  sold  at  fifty 


*  There  were,  on  this  proposition,  seventeen  ayes  to  six  nays,  and  one  non- 
liquet.  The  nays  were  Robert  Marshall,  James  Welch,  Barton  VV.  Stone.  Wm. 
Robertson,  [or  Robinson,]  ministers;  David  Purviance,  and  Malcolm  Worley, 
elders. 

t  Min.  of  Syn.  i.  1 8-22.  J  Min.  of  Syn.  i.  25. 

§  Min.  of  Syn.  i.  30. 


194  THE    NEW   LIGHT    SCHISM. 

cents  per  copy.  The  Synod  also  enjoined  punctual  attention  to 
catechizing,  especially  of  the  blacks.* 

On  Monday,  Sept.  12th,  the  Committee  of  Conference  report- 
ed that  the  aforesaid  seceders  would  confer  with  the  Synod  only 
as  a  body,  and  in  writing  ;  to  which  the  Synod  refused  to  ac- 
cede.f  The  next  day,  these  five  individuals  came  personally 
before  Synod,  and  informed  them  that  they  had  constituted 
themselves  into  a  separate  Presbytery  ;  whereupon,  in  view  of 
the  measures  previously  taken,  and  of  this  open  evidence  of 
schism,  Synod  proceeded  to  suspend  them  from  the  office  of  the 
ministry ;  leaving  it  to  the  several  presbyteries  to  restore  them 
upon  satisfactory  proof  of  repentance.  Their  pulpits  were  also 
declared  vacant.  Messrs.  Blythe,  Lyle,  Welch,  and  Stuart, 
were  appointed  a  committee  to  draft  a  circular  letter  to  the 
churches,  explanatory  of  the  Synod's  actions,  and  promotive  of 
the  peace  and  unity  of  the  Church.  Just  on  the  eve  of  adjourn- 
ment, a  letter  was  received  from  the  suspended  members,  read, 
and  placed  on  file.  It  was  merely  a  high-flown  panegyric  on 
Christian  Love.  J 

Matters  having  now  come  to  a  crisis,  and  a  separation  being 
actually  made,  the  war  commenced  in  earnest.  The  schismatics 
entered  on  a  course  of  sleepless  activity.  The  five  suspended 
ministers,  already  highly  popular,  exerted  themselves  to  the  ut- 
most to  attract  the  multitude  ;  and,  appealing  to  their  sympathy 
as  persecuted  persons,  endeavored  to  convert  the  censures  of  the 
Church  into  so  much  additional  capital  in  their  own  favor.  A 
torrent  of  mad  enthusiasm  swept  over  the  entire  territory  of 
the  Synod,  threatening  an  extensive  subversion  of  truth  and 
order.  Several  tracts  and  pamphlets  were  published,  breathing 
a  spirit  of  confident  exultation,  and  indulging  in  the  boldest  lan- 
guage of  anticipated  triumph. §  Such  progress  was  made,  that 
before  the  end  of  the  year  1804,  there  were  regular  societies 
organized  on  completely  democratic  principles,  at  Turtle  Creek, 


*Min.  ofSyn.  i.  31,  49,  72. 

f  The  vote  was  twelve  nnys  to  seven  yeas  ;  Yeas — Houston,  James  Henderson, 
Welsh,  Howe,  Robinson,  Wardlow,  McPheeters.  Nays — Cameron,  Moore,  Tull, 
Blythe,  Lyle,  Stuart,  Rannels,  John  Henderson,  Kemper,  Bennington,  John 
Campbell,  Samuel  C.  Findley.     Min.  of  Syn.  i.  34. 

I  Alin.  of  Syn.  i.  33-41.  It  is  quoted  at  length,  in  Stone's  reply  to  Campbell's 
Strictures,  p.  62. 

5  Bishop's  Rice,  p.  131. 


THE    NEW    LIGHT   SCHISM.  195 

Eagle  Creek,  Springfield,  Orangedale,  Salem,  Beaver  Creek, 
and  Clear  Creek,  in  the  State  of  Ohio;  Cabin  Creek,  Flemings- 
burg,  Concord,  Cane  Ridge,  Indian  Creek,  Bethel,  Paint  Lick, 
and  Shawnee  Run,  in  Kentucky  ;  besides  a  great  multitude  of  like 
sentiments  dispersed  through  Tennessee,  North  Carolina,  Vir- 
ginia, and  Western  Pennsylvania.  These  persons  are  described 
by  McNemar,  as  "  praying,  shouting,  jerking,  barking,  or  rolling  ; 
dreaming,  prophesying,  and  looking,  as  through  a  glass,  at  the 
infinite  glories  of  Mount  Zion,  just  about  to  break  open  upon  the 
world.* 

An  extraordinary  shower  of  a  reddish  hue,  readily  believed  to 
be  blood,  which  fell  during  the  summer  in  the  vicinity  of  Turtle 
Creek  Meeting-House,  was  eagerly  seized  on  as  a  convincing 
illustration  of  the  prophecy  of  Joel,  and  an  additional  confirma- 
tion of  the  approaching  advent  of  the  Millennial  Glory.f 

That  they  might  forestall  public  opinion,  and  justify  their  pro- 
ceedings in  the  eyes  of  the  world,  the  five  New  Light  ministers, 
having  associated  themselves  together  under  the  name  of  the 
Presbytery  of  Springfield,  lost  no  time  in  issuing  from  the  press 
a  pamphlet,  which  they  entitled  their  "  Apology." J  They  now 
stood  unequivocally  committed  in  print  upon  the  subject  of  doc- 
trine as  well  as  of  order  ;  denying  the  positions  of  the  Confession 
of  Faitliin  regard  to  the  Divine  decrees,  the  Atonement,  and  the 
special  influences  of  the  Spirit  in  the  production  of  Faith.  They 
maintained  that  all  creeds  and  Confessions  ought  to  be  rejected  ; 
and  that  the  Bible  alone,  without  note  or  comment,  should  be  the 
bond  of  Christian  fellowship.  In  explanation  of  their  apparent 
inconsistency  in  organizing  a  Presbytery,  and  constituting  dis- 
tinct societies,  they  professed  to  consider  these  forms,  only 
as  oflfering  a  temporary  asylum  for  those  who  were  cast  out,  as 
David  placed  his  parents  with  the  King  of  Moab,  "  till  they 
would  know  what  God  would  do  for  them."  They  regarded  the 
Presbytery  of  Springfield  "  as  providentially  formed  to  cover  the 
truth  from  the  impending  storm,  and  check  the  lawless  career  of 
opposition."      It  is  sufficiently  evident  that  these  misguided  men 


*  McNemar's  Hist,  of  Rev.  p.  69. 

t  McNemar,  p.  68. 

J  An  Apolo;:^'  for  renouncing  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Synod  of  Kentucky. 
Printed  in  Le.xington,  1804.  It  was  reprinted  in  Virginia  and  in  Georgia. 
McNemar,  p.  79. 


296  THE    ISEW    LIGHT    SCHISM. 

had  launched  upon  the  uncertain  sea  of  experiment  without  any 
fixed  principles  to  guide  them  ;  they  were  all  the  time  in  a  tran- 
sition-state ;  and  furnish  a  pitiable  instance  of  the  character 
described  so  graphically  by  St.  Paul,  "  ever  learning  and  never 
able  to  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth."  We  need  not, 
therefore,  be  surprised  to  find  them  deviating  more  and  more 
widely  at  each  remove,  and  falling  at  last  into  the  wildest  specu- 
lations. 

The  Committee  of  the  Synod  were  not  on  their  part  idle. 
The  "  Circular  Letter,''  from  the  pen  of  Mr.  Lyle,  was  published 
contemporaneously  with  the  "  Apology  ;'^  and  furnished  to  the 
churches  an  able  exposition  of  the  grounds  of  the  Synod's  action. 
It  consisted  of  thirty-six  pages,  1 8mo.,  and  contained  a  narrative 
of  the  late  transactions,  with  copious  extracts  from  the  minutes  ; 
argued  the  question  of  jurisdiction,  and  set  forth  the  pernicious 
nature  of  schism.  It  was  a  well-written  document ;  manly,  de- 
cided, and  perspicuous  ;  sound  in  its  reasoning ;  and  fortified  by 
apt  citations  from  Stuart's  Collection  of  the  Acts  of  the  Church 
of  Scotland,  the  Collection  of  Confessions,  the  Forms  of  Process 
of  the  Church  of  Scotland,  and  the  historians  Mosheim,  Robert- 
son and  Dupin.* 

But  in  order  to  bring  the  campaign  to  a  speedy  close  by  a 
brilliant  coup  de  main,  and  completely  unhinge,  to  borrow  their 
favorite  phraseology,  the  brazen  gates  of  Babylon,!  an  appoint- 
ment was  made  for  a  "  General  Meeting  of  Christians,"  seven 
miles  below  Lexington,  at  Bethel,  (Mr.  Marshall's  late  charge,J) 
early  in  October,  and  but  a  few  days  previous  to  the  meeting  of 
the  Synod.  It  was  proposed  to  come  prepared  to  camp  on  the 
ground,  and  to  remain  several  days.  The  ostensible  design  of 
the  meeting  was  "  to  celebrate  the  Feast  of  Love,  and  to  unite  in 
prayer  to  God  for  the  outpouring  of  his  Spirit."     The  place  was 


*  This  familiarity  with  Scottish  authorities  at  this  early  period,  shows  de- 
cisively the  reverence  cherished  by  the  clergy  of  Kentucky  towards  the  Mother 
Church  ;  and  how  little  they  would  have  countenanced  the  preposterous  amalga- 
mation of  "  Congres;ational-Presbijterums"  pretended,  by  some  partisans  in  the 
late  New  School  controversy,  to  be  tlie  distinctive  characteristics  of  American 
Presbyterianism. 

t  McNemar,  p.  79. 

I  Mr.  Marshall  resigned  Bethel  and  Blue  Spring  Churches  as  a  pastoral 
charge,  November  10, 1802,  though  he  appears  to  have  continued  to  supply  tliem 
in  1803.     Min.  West  Lex.  Pby.,  i.  87,  101. 


THE    NEW   LIGHT    SCHISM.  I97 

selected  as  central  to  the  States  of  Ohio,  Kentucky  and  Tennes- 
see ;  and  great  expectations  were  indulged  of  the  triumphant 
results.  Although  the  concourse  was  not  so  great  as  was  ex- 
pected, it  was  sufficiently  formidable  to  justify  the  apprehensions 
of  the  friends  of  Orthodoxy,  and  stimulate  them  to  alertness.* 

The  little  pamphlet  of  a  dozen  pages  which  contained  this 
invitation,  communicated  another  interesting  piece  of  intelli- 
gence. This  was  nothing  less  than  the  voluntary  dissolution  of 
the  amphibious  body,  known  under  the  style  and  title  of  the 
Springfield  Presbytery,  after  a  brief  existence  of  nine  months. 
Although  by  this  event,  which  occurred  at  Cane  Ridge  on  the 
28th  of  June,  1804,  an  important  barrier  to  intercourse  with  the 
Synod  was  removed,  no  good  result  followed. 

The  document  was  oddly  enough  entitled,  "  The  Last  Will  and 
Testament  of  the  Springfeld  Presbytery. ^^  It  was  drawn  up  with 
due  punctilio  in  the  form  of  a  will,  with  preamble  and  items, 
and  signed  and  sealed  by  the  members  as  witnesses.  This  sorry 
attempt  at  wit,  upon  a  very  serious  subject,  informed  the  world, 
that  the  Presbytery,  although,  through  a  gracious  Providence, 
being  in  more  than  ordinary  bodily  health,  growing  in  strength 
and  size  daily,  and  in  perfect  soundness  and  composure  of 
mind ;  yet,  knowing  that  it  is  appointed  to  all  delegated  bodies 
once  to  die,  and  considering  that  the  life  of  every  such  body  is 
very  uncertain,  did  make  and  ordain  this  their  last  will  and 
testament.  In  this  document  they  abjured  their  late  and  every 
similar  organization ;  renounced  the  title  of  Reverend,  written 
calls,  and  salaries  by  subscription  ;  affirmed  the  inherent  inde- 
pendence and  plenary  power  of  each  particular  congregation  to 
do  all  ecclesiastical  acts,  whether  of  discipline,  licensure,  or  ordi- 
nation ;  and  acknowledged  no  other  Confession  of  Faith  or 
Directory  than  the  Bible.  It  was  signed  by  Robert  Marshall, 
John  Dunlavy,  Richard  McNemar,  B.  W.  Stone,  John  Thomp- 
son, and  David  Purviance,  "  Witnesses." 

To  the  "Will"  was  appended  ''The  Witnesses^  Address  ;''''  in 
which  they,  with  more  sobriety,  stated  the  reasons  of  the  step 
they  had  taken,  promised  to  give  the  public  shortly  their  views 
on  Church  Government,  and  concluded  with  the  invitation  to 


*  Bishop's  Rice,  p.  131. 


198  THE    NEW   LIGHT    SCHISM. 

Bethel  already  alluded  to.  Their  reasons  appear  briefly  to  have 
been  these  ;  that  theiy  found  it  difficult  to  repress  a  latent  feel- 
ing of  '^  party ;"  that  they  excited  the  jealousy  of  other  denomi- 
nations ;  and  that,  as  their  investigations  into  the  subject  of 
Ecclesiastical  Polity  had  at  last  conducted  them  to  the  conclu- 
sion that  all  such  confederacies  as  Sessions,  Presbyteries,  Synods, 
and  General  Assemblies,  v^^ere  unscriptural,  consistency  required 
them  to  disband  before  they  published  their  sentiments  to  the 
world.*  They,  however,  gave  fair  warning  that  they  had  no 
idea  of  stripping  themselves  of  the  clerical  character,  but  that 
they  would  aid  the  brethren  with  their  counsel  when  required, 
assist  in  ordaining  elders  and  pastors,  and  continue  in  the  exer- 
cise of  those  functions  which  belonged  to  them  as  ministers  of 
the  Gospel. f 

Filled  with  the  pleasing  dream  of  an  approaching  universal 
kingdom,  which  was  to  embrace  the  whole  earth,  they  proposed 
to  establish  a  grand  communion,  which  should  agree  to  unite 
upon  the  simplest  fundamental  principles,  according  to  a  plan 
drawn  up  by  Rice  Haggard,  such  as,  worshipping  one  God,  ac- 
knowledging Jesus  Christ  as  the  Saviour,  taking  the  Bible  for  the 
sole  confession  of  faith,  and  organizing  on  the  New  Testament 
model.  To  this  union  of  all  disciples  of  Christ,  they  gave  the 
name  of  "  The  Christian  Church,"  and  would  recognize  no 
sectarian  appellation.  Their  views  were  communicated  to  the 
world  in  the  promised  "  Observations  on  Church  Government"  and 
^'  An  Address  to  the  different  religious  societies,  on  the  sacred  im- 
port of  the  Christian  name.'"X 

They  had  not  as  yet  reached  the  point  of  intolerance  which 
was  afterwards  incorporated  in  their  system,  the  denial  of  infant 
baptism,  and  of  any  mode  of  baptism  but  immersion.  Mr.  Stone, 
indeed,  had  been  troubled  for  several  years  on  the  former  point ; 
and  in  January  19th,  1799,  had  addressed  a  confidential  letter  to 
his  friend  Marshall,  suggesting  difficulties,  and  requesting  their 
solution,  to  which  he  received  a  long  and  elaborate  reply. §   Mr. 


*  Last  Will  and  Testament,  pp.  7,  8.  f  Ibid.,  pp.  9,  10. 

X  McNemar  only  considers  it  as  a  setting  up  again  of  the  fallen  Dagon. 
"  Having  shook  off  their  former  reins  of  government,  and  having  attained  but 
little  mortification  of  that  pride,  natural  to  man ;  and  being  carried  along  in  a 
high  gale  of  the  Spirit,  they  began  to  form  great  imaginations  of  a  universal 
kingdom,  in  which  they  vi'ould  fill  the  first  rank."     p.  88. 

§  Marshall  MSS.  No.  1,  2. 


THE    NEW    LIGHT  SCHISM.  199 

Stone's  mind,  however,  was  not  relieved,  and  soon  after  the 
schism  he  avowed  his  predilections,  and  administered  baptism 
only  to  adults,  and  by  immersion.  It  was  agreed  in  one  of  their 
conferences,  that  every  one  should  act,  in  regard  to  this  subject, 
according  to  his  individual  convictions ;  and  it  appears  that  Mr. 
Stone,  although  he  refused  to  baptize  Mr.  Marshall's  child  him- 
self, was  yet  in  the  habit  of  announcing  to  his  people  that  on 
such  a  day  they  could  have  their  children  baptized  by  such  of  the 
preachers  as  had  no  scruples  about  the  practice.* 

The  Presbytery  of  Springfield,  even  from  the  first,  when  the 
five  schismatics  withdrew  from  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Synod  of 
Kentucky,  professed  to  have  no  design  of  setting  up  a  separate 
church,  or  distinct  sect,  but  only  represented  their  association  as 
a  temporary  asylum.f  So  far  from  claiming  ecclesiastical  au- 
thority, they  modestly  confessed  that  they  were  as  far  from  the 
true  foundation  as  others,  and  that  they  felt  the  need  of  more 
light  and  further  search  into  the  Scriptures. 

They  had  not,  indeed,  advanced  so  far  as  to  dispense  with  all 
relics  of  order,  and  accordingly  w^e  find  them,  in  March,  1804, 
examining  Malcolm  Worley,  an  elder  in  the  Turtle  Creek  Church, 
in  Ohio,  Mr.  McNemar's  charge,  and  furnishing  him  with  a  writ- 
ten license  to  preach.J 

The  Presbytery  were  not  the  sole  judges  of  Mr.  Worley's  quali- 
fications ;  the  church  of  which  he  was  a  member  conceived  them- 
selves likewise  called,  after  the  manner  of  the  Independents,  to 
examine  him  as  to  his  theological  views,  and  having  declared 
themselves  satisfied,  encouraged  him  to  exercise  his  gifts  in  exhort- 
ing as  Providence  might  direct.  The  same  course  was  pursued 
in  regard  to  others,  and  the  number  of  approved  exhorters  in- 
creased.§ 

Mr.  Worley's  sentiments  remind  one  of  the  speculations  of  the 
Gnostics.  He  maintained  that  man,  since  the  Fall,  possessed 
both  a  divine  and  a  diabolical  nature,  the  first  corresponding  to 
the  seed  of  the  woman,  the  latter  to  the  seed  of  the  serpent.  That 
Christ,  to  redeem  mankind,  assumed  this  double  nature,  and  his 
whole  life  was  a  conflict  between  these  antagonistical  principles. 


*  Marshall  MSS.  No.  8.     Stone  to  Marshall, 
■f  Apology,  p.  20.     McNemar,  p.  42. 
I  McNemar,  p.  34.     Bishop's  Rice,  p.  136. 
]  McNemar,  p.  67. 


200  THE    NEW    LIGHT    SCHISM. 

That  the  diabolical  nature  (which  was  that  which  tempted  him  to 
ambition  and  presumption,  in  casting  himself  down  from  the  pin- 
nacle of  the  temple)  was  finally  defeated  on  the  cross,  whence 
the  Second  Man  arose  victorious,  having  effectually  bruised  the 
serpent's  head.  And,  lastly,  that  the  thousand  years  during  which, 
according  to  Scripture,  this  wicked  or  diabolical  nature  was  to 
be  bound,  i.  e.,  suffered  to  exist,  had  now  expired,  and  the  Spirit 
of  God  was  poured  out  upon  the  people,  first  to  reveal,  and 
finally  to  consume  it.* 

Such  were  the  wild  notions  which  this  deluded  man  was  let 
loose  to  propagate  among  the  community.  While  a  number  of 
prominent  New  Lights  acceded  to  these  views,  there  were  others 
who  hesitated,  objecting  that  they  led  to  Universalism,  and,  by 
removing  the  motives  of  hope  and  fear,  encouraged  vice ;  although 
there  were  not  wanting  others  who  charitably  ascribed  them  to 
a  disordered  brain.  But  as  all  professed  to  be  learners,  and  to 
exercise  independent  rights  in  investigating  scriptural  mysteries, 
a  decision  of  the  subject  was  deferred  for  the  present,  and  the 
harmony  of  the  party  remained  uninterrupted,  f 

Such  was  the  posture  of  affairs  when  the  Synod  assembled  for 
their  annual  fall  meeting,  in  October,  1804,  at  Danville. 

The  difficulties  with  the  Cumberland  Presbytery,  and  with  Mr. 
Craighead,  engaged  their  attention  ;  but  that  we  may  not  inter- 
rupt the  thread  of  the  narrative,  the  consideration  of  these  sub- 
jects shall  be  reserved  for  succeeding  chapters. 

The  Rev.  Dr.  James  Hall,J  the  Rev.  Thomas  Marquis,  and  the 
Rev.  Nash  Le  Grand,  appeared  before  Synod  as  a  Committee 
sent  by  the  General  Assembly  with  a  view  to  heal  the  recent 
disorders.  They  proceeded  to  unfold  a  plan  whereby  the  ob- 
ject of  their  mission  might  be  accomplished,  in  which  the  Synod 
concurred.  Messrs.  Marshall,  Dunlavy,  Stone  and  Thompson, 
being  present,  also  gave  their  concurrence.  Mr.  McNemar  was 
not  present.  Synod  then  spent  some  time  in  prayer  for  the 
blessing  of  Heaven  on  the  measure  proposed,  their  devotions 
being  led  by  Messrs.  Marquis  and  Marshall ;  after  w'hich  they 


*  McNemar,  pp.  51-53.  f  Ibid.  pp.  53,  55. 

X  Dr.  Hall  was  from  North  Carolina.  He  was  appointed  by  the  General  As- 
sembly to  a  mission  in  the  bounds  of  the  Presbytery  of  Washington  ;  but  having 
declined  it,  the  Synod  prayed  the  Assembly  to  appoint  Mr.  Rice  in  his  place. 
Min.  of  Syn.  i.  61. 


THE   NEW   LIGHT   SCHISM.  201 

appointed  Messrs.  Rice,  Findley,  Blythe,  Maj.  John  Campbell, 
and  Mr.  James  Allen,  a  Committee  of  Conference  to  act  with 
the  Assembly's  Committee.  The  joint  committee  had  an  inter- 
view with  the  dissenting  brethren,  in  which,  however,  they  could 
arrive  at  no  satisfactory  conclusion,  the  one  party  insisting  on 
obedience  to  the  Discipline  of  the  Church,  the  other  pertina- 
ciously repudiating  the  Confession  of  Faith  as  a  standard  of  doc- 
trine and  discipline.* 

All  attempts  at  conciliation  proving  abortive,  Messrs.  Rice, 
Marquis,  Le  Grand,  Blythe,  and  Maj.  John  Campbell,  were  ap- 
pointed a  Committee  to  draft  an  Address  to  the  Churches  in  re- 
gard to  the  unhappy  schism.  The  Address  w^as  read  and  ap- 
proved ;  and  seven  hundred  and  fifty  copies  ordered  to  be  printed, 
circulated,  and  read  in  the  churches.  Certain  ministers  were 
designated,  whose  duty  it  should  be  to  read  the  Address  in  the 
late  charges  of  the  seceding  brethren.  All  which  was  done  ac- 
cordingly.f  Appended  to  the  "  Serious  Address  "  were  the  Re- 
port of  the  Committee  of  Conference,  An  Extract  from  the  As- 
sembly's Narrative  on  the  State  of  Religion,  A  Letter  from  the 
Assembly  to  Mr.  Rice — which  will  be  referred  to  hereafter — and 
a  Pastoral  Letter  from  the  Assembly.  In  this  letter  the  Venerable 
Assembly  alluded  to  the  unhappy  schism,  and  urged  to  forbear- 
ance and  conciliation  ;  they  deplored  the  late  extravagances  and 
bodily  contortions;  and  strongly  bore  their  testimony  against 
pretended  impulses  and  revelations  from  Heaven.  "  When  men 
presume,"  said  the  Assembly,  "  that  the  Holy  Spirit,  contrary  to 
the  established  order  of  Providence,  interferes,  by  particular  im- 
pulse, to  direct  them  in  all  the  common  affairs  of  life ;  when  they 
deem  themselves  to  be  impelled  by  him  to  particular  acts,  or  par- 
ticular religious  exercises,  contrary  to  the  established  order  of  the 
Gospel,  and  the  obvious  duties  of  the  moment ;  when,  finally, 
they  pretend  to  miraculous  powers,  or  prophetic  influences,  and 
the  foretelling  of  future  events  ;  all  these  are  evidences  of  a  wild, 
enthusiastic  spirit,  and  tend,  eventually,  to  destroy  the  authority 
of  the  Word  of  God,  as  the  sole  rule  of  faith  and  practice."  J 


*  Min.  of  Svn.  i.  45-49.     Report  of  the  Comm.  appended  to  the  "SeriouB 
Address,"  pp.  10-14. 

t  Min.  of  Syn.  pp.  57,  65,  74 
I  Assembly's  Digest,  p.  151. 


202  THE   NEW   LIGHT   SCHISM. 

During  the  years  1805  and  1806,  Messrs.  Campbell  and  Stuart 
were  directed  by  the  General  Assembly  to  travel  over  Northern 
Kentucky,  and  Messrs.  Stuart  and  Rice  over  Southern  Kentucky, 
with  a  view  to  regulate  disorders,  compose  the  distracted 
churches,  and  gather  again  together  the  scattered  flock. 

The  campaign  of  1805  opened  with  spirit  on  both  sides.  The 
defection  of  the  Rev.  Matthew  Houston,  pastor  of  Silver  Creek 
and  Paint  Lick  congregations,  (originally  the  charge  of  the 
lamented  Cary  Allen,)  was  calculated  to  discourage  the  Ortho- 
dox, and  inspire  the  New  Lights  with  fresh  vigor.  On  the  10th 
of  April,  Mr,  Houston  forwarded  to  the  Presbytery  of  Transyl- 
vania, then  in  session,  a  letter,  informing  them  that  he  had 
relinquished  the  faith  of  the  Church  and  declined  the  authority 
of  her  judicatories.  Hereupon  the  Presbytery,  on  mature  delib- 
eration, resolved,  as  they  had  sufficient  evidence  in  his  letter  of 
his  declinature  and  schism,  and  as  our  discipline  does  not  con- 
template clothing  a  man  with  ministerial  authority  in  order 
to  propagate  his  private  and  schismatic  views,  that  he  be  sus- 
pended from  all  the  functions  of  the  ministry  until  he  should 
return  to  order,  satisfy  the  Church  of  his  reformation,  and  submit 
to  its  rules  and  authority.  Messrs.  Campbell  and  Findley,  who 
were  appointed  to  read  this  sentence  in  the  congregations  of 
Silver  Creek  and  Paint  Lick,  were  also  charged  with  the  duty 
of  conversing  with  Mr.  Houston,  and,  if  possible,  reclaiming  him 
from  his  errors.  The  duty  was  fulfilled,  but  with  no  beneficial 
result ;  and  Mr.  Houston  persisting  in  his  course,  he  was  finally 
deposed  on  the  2d  of  October  following.* 

Matthew  Houston  graduated  at  Liberty  Hall  about  the 
close  of  the  last  century.  He  was  not  a  man  of  talents,  nor  a 
close  reasoner.  He  seldom  meddled  with  doctrinal  points,  but 
indulged  in  a  style  of  inflammatory  declamation.  He  was  a 
fleshy  man,  of  plethoric  habit,  florid  complexion,  reddish  hair, 
and  sanguine  temperament.  His  disposition  was  jovial  to  a 
fault.  He  was  utterly  destitute  of  solemnity,  always  joking  and 
keeping  everybody  round  him  in  a  roar,  and  was  never  known 
to  be  serious  except  when  praying  or  preaching.  He  was  a  very 
Boanerges,  having  a  strong  clear  voice  that  could  be  heard  at  a 
camp-meeting  to  the  distance  of  a  mile.     He  was  animated  in 

*  Min.  of  Trans.  Pby.  vol.  iii,  pp.  107,  109,  114. 


THE   NEW   LIGHT  SCHISM. 


203 


his  action,  and  labored  in  preaching  till  the  perspiration  oozed 
through  his  coat.  Being  naturally  enthusiastic,  and  of  very- 
ardent  feelings,  he  produced  great  emotion  in  an  audience, 
although,  as  he  himself  was  sensible,  it  was  but  evanescent. 

He  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  Great  Revival,  and  was  cred- 
ulous enough  to  believe  it  all  genuine.  The  Exercises  abounded 
in  his  neighborhood,  and  received  his  encouragement.  The 
Barking  Exercise  commenced  under  his  auspices,  and  when  his 
protegL-s  disturbed  the  decorum  of  public  worship  with  their 
ululatory  performances,  and  drew  down  the  merited  rebuke  of 
the  orthodox  clergy,  he  was  highly  indignant,  and  denounced 
the  interference  as  interposing  hindrances  to  the  progress  of  the 
work  of  God. 

Mr.  Stone's  Letters  on  the  Atonement  decided  him  openly  to 
join  the  New  Lights,  but  the  joy  his  accession  gave  them  was 
soon  damped  by  his  quitting  their  fellowship  for  the  Shakers, 
who  made  their  first  appearance  in  his  neighborhood  in  the  spring 
of  1805,  and  unfortunately  he  had  influence  enough  to  take  many 
of  his  people  along  with  him.  He  entered  into  all  the  fooleries 
of  the  Shakers,  and,  pretending  to  take  literally  the  injunction 
"  to  become  as  little  children"  he  would  ride  about  on  a  hobby- 
horse, and  perform  other  childish  tricks.  It  began,  moreover,  to 
be  whispered  that  he  did  not  imitate  with  equal  scrupulousness  the 
innocence  of  infancy,  and  suspicions  were  afloat  unfavorable  to 
his  moral  purity,  but  this  may  have  been  a  groundless  calumny. 
He  was  promoted  by  the  Shakers  to  the  station  of  an  elder,  and 
occasionally  went  about  preaching.  After  some  time  he  removed 
to  the  Shaker  village  in  Ohio,  where  he  still  resides.* 

Two  champions  now  stepped  into  the  arena,  and  attracted  all 
eyes  by  a  vigorous  war  of  pamphlets.  Early  in  the  Spring  of 
180.5,  Mr.  Stone's  *'  Letters  on  the  Atonement"  made  their  appear- 
ance, in  3G  pages.  Dr.  John  P.  Campbell  promptly  took  the 
field,  and  published  "  Strictures"  on  the  Letters,  in  79  pages. 
To  these  Mr.  Stone  in  September  put  forth  a  "  Reply"  in  67 
pages  ;  and  in  the  following  year  Dr.  Campbell  rejoined  in  a 
pamphlet  entitled  "  Vindex,  or  the  Doctrines  of  the  Strictures 
Vindicated,"  in  154  pages. f 

*  For  the  materials  of  this  biography,  the  writer  is  indebted  to  Mr  Stuart, 
Dr.  Wilson,  and  the  widow  of  Mr.  Lyle. 

f  It  will  interest  the  lover  of  antiquarian  morccaux,  and  may  not  be  deemed 
beneath  the  notice  of  an  ecclesiastical  historian,  to  observe,  that  the  typography 


204  THE    NEW   LIGHT   SCHISM. 

The  styles  of  the  combatants  were  as  opposite  as  their 
sentiments.  Mr.  Stone  wrote  in  a  simple,  unambitious  style, 
totally  innocent  of  rhetorical  embellishments,  and  plain  occasion- 
ally to  slovenliness.  It  was  suited  to  the  minds  he  sought  to 
reach — the  shrewd,  though  uneducated,  mass  of  the  people.  He 
wrote  as  if  he  meant  to  be  understood,  and  cared  for  nothing 
beyond  this.  The  novelty  and  boldness  of  his  attacks  on  the 
Confession  attracted  their  admiration  ;  the  startling  and  plausi- 
ble fallacies  which  he  advanced  with  an  air  of  specious  candor, 
stimulated  their  curiosity ;  the  sneers  in  which  he  indulged 
against  systematic  and  antiquated  dogmas,  harmonized  with 
their  natural  love  of  independence  ;  and  the  very  coarseness  of 
his  language  conciliated  their  good  will,  and  made  them  unsus- 
picious of  danger  from  so  frank  and  unpretending  a  source. 

The  style  of  Dr.  Campbell,  on  the  contrary,  was  studied,  ele- 
gant, and  ornate.  His  argument  was  close  and  cogent,  and  his 
rhetoric  was  as  elaborate  as  his  logic.  His  sentences  moved  on 
with  stately  dignity,  and  the  classical  taste  could  not  but  be 
captivated  with  his  well-balanced  periods.  The  peroration  of 
his  Strictures  was  particularly  fine  as  a  splendid  piece  of  decla- 
mation. But  these  qualities,  which  in  the  judgment  of  critics 
would  be  worthy  of  all  praise,  tended  perhaps  to  diminish  the 
effect  of  his  pages,  and  to  excite  the  prejudices  of  the  jealous 
multitude.  His  error  was  that  ascribed  to  the  British  troops  at 
North  Point — of  not  shooting  low  enough.  His  elegant  sen- 
tences flew  over  the  heads  of  the  people,  and  failed  to  make  the 
desired  impression  upon  that  very  class  of  the  community  who 
most  needed  it.  In  his  next  production  he  seemed  to  have  be- 
come aware  of  the  necessity  of  adopting  a  less  ambitious  style, 
and  sacrificing  the  graces  to  strength  ;  he  fairly  descended  into 
the  ring,  and  met  his  antagonist  more  on  his  own  level,  not, 
however,  without  manifest  repugnance  and  violence  to  his 
own  feelings.  There  was  less  rhetoric  and  more  logic.  It 
was  a  triumphant  vindication  of  his  own  positions,  and  a  wither- 
ing exposure  of  his  opponent's  crude  opinions,  conceited  dog- 


of  these  pamphlets  does  not  indicate  a  very  high  state  of  the  art  at  that  period. 
The  paper  is  very  coarse  and  dingy.  Mr.  Stone's  pamphlets  were  issued  from 
the  press  of  Joseph  Charless ;  Dr.  Campbell's  from  that  of  Daniel  Bradford ;  both 
in  Lexington. 


THE   NEW  LIGHT   SCHISM. 


205 


matism,  uncharitable  insinuations,  disingenuous  artifices,  distorted 
quotations,  shallow  learning,  bad  grammar,  and  slovenly  style. 

In  the  course  of  the  controversy,  Mr.  Stone's  heretical  views 
were  distinctly  brought  out ;  what  he  himself  withheld,  or  cun- 
ningly concealed  under  vague  or  ambiguous  language,  being 
dragged  to  the  light  by  his  sagacious  adversary.  When  all 
disguises  were  stripped  off,  he  stood  forth  evidently  convicted 
of  occupying  Arian,  Socinian,  and  Pelagian  ground. 

He  denied  a  Trinity  of  persons  in  the  Godhead,  as  unscri  plu- 
ral and  unintelligible.*  He  denied  the  equality  of  Christ  with  the 
Father,  except  in  name  and  office.f  On  these  points  he  was 
very  reserved  and  obscure,  all  he  allowed  himself  to  say  being 
comprised  in  two  short  paragraphs. 

He  ridiculed  the  doctrines  of  the  Confession  of  Faith,  in  regard 
to  the  Federal  Covenant  with  Adam  ; J  the  Wrath  of  God,  whom 
he  represented  as  eternal  and  unchangeable  Love,  not  needing 
to  be  reconciled  to  sinners  but  requiring  them  to  be  reconciled 
to  him  ;§  the  Suretyship  and  Imputed  Righteousness  of  Christ  ;|| 
and  his  paying  the  Penalty  of  the  Law.TI  Christ  was  a  Surety, 
not  of  men,  but  of  the  Covenant,  as  confirming  and  attesting 
the  truth  of  God's  promises.** 

The  Atonement  was  not  Expiatory.  It  meant  agreement  or 
reconciliation,  as  was  apparent  from  its  etymology.  God  and 
the  sinner  were  "  at  twos,"  i.  e.  mutually  opposed ;  Christ  came 
to  "  at-one"  them,  i.  e.  to  "  make  them  one.'^  This  At-one-ment 
is  effected  when  men  become  holy,  and  so  conformed  to  the 
nature  of  God.ft  Atonement,  reconciliation,  propitiation, 
redemption,  ransom,  purging,  cleansing,  regeneration,  salva- 
tion, all  mean  the  same  thing ;  i.  e.  bringing  God  and  sinners 
together.JJ 

Faith  and  repentance  are  in  the  power  of  the  creature,  and 
of  themselves  secure  pardon  and  acceptance.§§  Faith  is  a  mere 
act  of  the  intellect  assenting  to  evidence,  and  is  independent  of 
the  will. ill!     The  Jewish  sacrifices  were  not  typical  of  the  sa- 


*  Letters  on  Atonement,  p.  18.  **  Lett.  p.  7. 

f  Reply  to  tlic  Strictures,  p.  20.  +t  Lett.  p.  20. 

\  Lett.  p.  4.  XX  Lett.  pp.  21,  25. 

JLett.  pp.  5,  21.  k  Lett.  p.  20.     Reply,  p.  6. 


ll  Lett.  p.  7.  fill  Reply,  p.  60. 

U  Lett.  p.  15. 

14 


20g  THE    NEW    LIGHT    SCHISM. 

crifice  of  Christ ;  and  the  efficacy  of  both  consisted  solely  in 
producing  proper  feelings  on  the  part  of  the  worshipper.*  Jus- 
tification is  the  result  of  personal  obedience,  or  of  union  by  faith 
to  Christ,  and  a  consequent  participation  of  his  nature  which  is 
righteousness.  "  They  are  justified,  made  just  or  righteous,  and 
declared  so  ;  because  they  are  so  indeed."t 

Dr.  Campbell's  exposure  made  a  deep  impression  upon  the 
public  mind,  as  Mr.  Stone  himself  seems  to  have  admitted,  J  and 
the  occasional  compliments  paid  to  his  superior  learning  and 
talents  evince  the  uneasiness  of  his  adversary.  But  there  was 
one  passage  which  was  regarded  as  peculiarly  startling  and 
offensive.  In  speaking  of  the  price  of  redemption,  Mr.  Stone 
had  employed  the  following  language  : 

"  It  may  now  be  asked  if  Christ,  or  God  in  Christ,  redeems 
fi'om  the  devil  and  sin,  and  if  he  gave  his  blood  as  the  ransom 
or  price,  who  got  the  price  ?  The  apostle  to  the  Hebrews,  ii. 
14,  answers :  '  Forasmuch  as  the  children  were  partakers  of 
flesh  and  blood,  he  also  himself  likewise  took  part  of  the  same  ; 
that  through  death  he  might  destroy  him  that  had  the  power  of 
death,  that  is  the  devil.'  Here  we  see  that  the  devil  had  the 
power  of  death,  and  he  got  the  price,  which  was  the  death  of 
Christ."§ 

"  What  !"  cried  Dr.  Campbell,  warmly  expressing  his  horror 
at  these  "  dreadful  words," — "  What !  was  the  blood,  the  '  pre- 
cious blood '  of  Christ  given  to  a  foul,  abominable  fiend  ?  Was 
God  so  deeply  indebted  to  the  Prince  of  hell  that  the  richest 
blood  in  the  universe  must  flow  out  in  payment  ?  Was  the 
Supreme  Being  so  weak,  so  devoid  of  resource,  so  thwarted  and 
baffled  in  his  measures,  as  to  be  obliged  to  compound  with  a 
poor,  damned  rebel,  who  is  reserved  in  chains  of  darkness  to  the 
judgment  of  the  great  day,  and  pay  him  such  a  price  for  the 
ransom  of  sinners  ?  Was  the  Almighty  Father  so  merciless,  so 
lost  to  tenderness,  as  to  deliver  up  his  own,  his  only  Son,  to  glut 
the  malice  of  a  blood-thirsty  demon?  Was  the  innocent  Lamb 
of  God  made  a  victim,  and  immolated  upon  the  altar  of  hell  to 


*Lett.  p.  31.  f  Lett.  p.  15. 

X  Mr.  Stone,  alluding  to  the  strictures  of  Dr.  C,  says  :  "  By  your  public  har- 
angues, and  writings  on  this  subject,  the  preachers  and  people  appear  to  have 
caught  iJ:e  same  wildness  of  imagination."     Reply,  p.  55. 

5  Letter!:,  p.  24. 


THE   NEW   LIGHT   SCIHSM. 


207 


appease  the  wrath  of  the  devil  ?  O  sacred  God  !  how  low  is 
thy  power  reduced,  how  is  thy  character  stigmatized,  how  is 
thy  glory  tarnished  by  such  a  doctrine  !  What  a  libel  on  Truth 
and  the  Cross  !  Its  worst  enemies  could  wish  no  more  to  ren- 
der it  contemptible.  No  feature  of  infamy  could  be  imposed 
upon  Christianity  that  would  make  it  more  disgusting,  more 
shocking,  more  repulsive,  than  the  hideous  one  we  now  con- 
template."* 

"  Let  not  the  world,  however,  think  Mr.  S.  an  original  in  this 
idea — Mr.  Morgan  had  published  it  before  him  to  expose  Chris- 
tianity. '  If  the  deliverance  of  mankind  from  the  power  and 
dominion  of  Satan  had  been  by  a  proper  purchase  or  price  of 
redemption  paid  for  them,  it  seems  most  reasonable,  that  the 
price  of  redemption  should  be  paid  to  the  conqueror,  who  had 
them  in  possession,  whose  prisoners  they  were,  and  who  there- 
upon pleaded  a  right  to  them  by  conquest,  i.  e.  the  DEVIL.'  "f 

So  deeply  was  the  moral  sense  of  the  community  shocked  by 
Mr.  Stone's  language,  and  so  glaring  was  its  coincidence  with 
that  of  the  Deist  above  cited,  that  he  felt  compelled  in  his  Reply 
to  deny  unequivocally,  that  he  had  ever  heard  of  that  author  be- 
fore. He  appeared  to  be  ashamed  of  the  expression  he  had  used, 
and  consented  to  retract  it,  and  to  "  eat  the  dreadful  words," 
professing  that  he  would  never  contend  for  an  expression,  if  he 
might  retain  the  idea,  J 

As  the  spring  had  opened  with  a  bud  of  ill  omen,  in  the  defec- 
tion to  Shakerism  of  the  first  convert  made  by  his  Letters  on  the 
Atonement,  the  fall  amply  redeemed  the  promise  of  the  spring. 
Mr.  Stone  was  deeply  mortified  at  finding  himself  deserted  by 
two  of  his  colleagues,  McNemar  and  Dunlavy,  who,  as  he 
bitterly  said,  made  shipwreck  of  faith,  and  turned  aside  to  an  old 
woman's  fables,  broached  in  New  England  twenty-five  years 
before. § 

It  appears  that  on  the  intelligence  of  the  strange  doings  in  the 
Kentucky  Revival,  a  deputation  of  three  Shakers,  no  doubt  con- 
sidering it  a  promising  soil,  started  on  a  visit  of  exploration  from 
the  settlement  at  New  Lebanon,  in  the  State  of  New  York. 


*  Strictures,  p.  68.  f  Strictures,  p.  69. 

t  Reply,  pp.  55,  56.     McNemar  alludes  to  it  also,  p.  103. 
{  Reply,  Postscript,  p.  67. 


208  "^HE   NEW   LIGHT   SCHISM. 

They  arrived  at  Paint  Lick  early  in  March,  and  made  a  success- 
ful commencement  with  Mr.  Houston,  whose  illumination  was  so 
rapid  that  in  a  month  he  was  ready  to  renounce  his  connection 
with  the  Presbytery.*  In  April  they  visited  Cane  Ridge,  and 
were  courteously,  and  even  warmly,  entertained  by  Mr.  Stone, 
who  sent  a  letter  ^^  By  friend  Bates"  to  Mr.  McNemar.f  Coming 
to  Ohio,  they  visited  Turtle  Creek,  near  Lebanon,  and  introduced 
themselves  to  Malcolm  Worley,  and  through  him  to  Mr.  McNe- 
mar,  and  were  permitted,  without  any  impediment,  to  address 
the  congregation  on  the  following  day,  which  was  the  Sabbath. J 
The  door  being  thus  widely  thrown  open,  it  is  not  wonderful  that 
Worley,  who  had  been  one  of  the  wildest  of  the  New  Lights, 
and  was  hke  tinder  ready  for  the  spark,  became  their  first 
proselyte ;  and  by  the  23d  of  May,  they  numbered  thirty  or 
forty  converts,  among  whom  were  the  prominent  leaders  in  the 
Revival,  with  McNemar  himself  at  their  head.§  In  June  they 
came  to  Eagle  Creek,  and  made  a  few  converts  there  ;  and  in 
July  succeeded  in  winning  over  Dunlavy,  with  twenty  or  thirty 
families  under  his  influence.  ||  In  August,  through  the  efforts  of 
Matthew  Houston,  Samuel,  Henry,  and  John  Bonta,  Elisha 
Thomas,  and  others,  they  obtained  a  foothold  in  the  middle 
region  of  Kentucky  ;  and  a  number  of  families  embraced  their 
views,  and  formed  a  Community  near  Harrodsburg,  in  Mercer 
county.^!  Another  Shaker  village  was  soon  found  necessary  in 
the  Green  river  country,  which  was  joined  by  Mr.  Rankin,  and 
to  which  we  shall  allude  again  when  we  speak  of  the  Cumber- 
land Presbyterian  schism. 

It  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  the  New  Lights,  now  styling 
themselves  "  Christians"  could  view  these  movements  without 


*  McNemar,  p.  74. 

f  McNemar,  p.  79.  "  Dost  thou  not  remember,"  writes  Dunlavy  in  a  letter  to 
Stone,  "  telling  me,  on  that  same  day,  that  thou  wast  never  so  completely  swal- 
lowed up  with  any  man  as  with  Issachar  Bates,  while  he  opened  the  testimony  1 
And  that  thou  hadst  never  heard  anything  with  which  thou  wast  so  well  pleased, 
or  which  so  perfectly  filled  thy  soul,  as  the  testimony  of  the  Shakers,  until  they 
came  on  marriage  ?  that  that  was  the  fii-st  thing  on  which  thou  didst  think  them 
lame  ?  But  thou  didst  not  object  to  that  first,  but  to  the  doctrine  of  the  resurrec- 
tion? I  say,  dost  thou  not  remember  these  things?  Concealment  before  the 
world  may  stand  awhile  ;  but  concealment  before  God  will  not  avail."  Dun- 
lavy's  Manifesto,  p.  470. 

X  McNemar,  p.  75. 

\  McNemar,  pp.  80,  84.  ||  McNemar,  p.  85.  IT  McNemar,  p.  85. 


THE    NEW   LIGHT  SCHISM.  gOO 

alarm.  Mr.  Stone  and  Mr.  Thomson,  particularly,  denounced 
the  Shaker  emissaries  on  all  occasions,  in  letters,  by  the  press 
and  at  the  camp-meetings,  as  false  prophets,  liars,  and  wolves  in 
sheep's  clothing,  snuffing  the  prey  from  afar,  and  come  to  rend 
and  devour.*  At  a  general  meeting  at  Concord  in  August,  six 
of  the  leaders,  Thomson,  Marshall,  Stone,  Purviance,  Stockwell 
and  Brannon,  spoke  freely  against  them  in  their  addresses ;  wrhile 
a  solemn  Council  was  held,  which  enjoined  total  silence  upon 
Youngs,  McNemar,  Dunlavy,  and  Worley,  who  were  present, 
and  burning  to  exercise  their  gifts ;  thus,  as  Youngs  very 
pointedly  remarked,  "abusing  their  own  light."t 

Although  divided  and  weakened  by  these  inroads,  and  com- 
pelled to  direct  much  of  their  strength  to  mere  self-preservation, 
the  New  Lights  rallied,  and  made  a  successful  stand.J  Under 
the  wide  wing  of  Latitudinarianism,  they  doubtless  collected  and 
retained  many  who  were  more  or  less  orthodox.  Of  this  num- 
ber were  Messrs.  Marshall  and  Thomson.  With  Mr.  Stone's 
heresies  we  have  no  reason  to  believe  they  ever  fully  sympa- 
thized. They  were  probably  led  away  by  an  anti-sectarian 
spirit,  and  an  irrepressible  zeal  for  extensive  usefulness,  and  it 
may  be  also,  they  were  unconsciously  swayed  by  other  motives 
not  quite  so  pure.  That  Mr.  Marshall  never  denied  the  Divinity 
of  Christ,  though  he  sympathized  with  Dr.  Watts'  sentiments  on 
the  pre-existence  of  Christ's  human  soul,  the  testimony  of  his 
family  is  positive,  nor  is  there  any  evidence  to  the  contrary.  A 
note-book  of  his,  containing  memoranda  from  1804  to  1811, 
exhibits  a  synopsis  of  arguments,  apparently  intended  as  the  heads 
of  a  sermon,  in  favor  of  the  Divinity  of  Christ.  Mr.  Thomson 
was  perhaps  not  so  sound,  if  we  may  draw  the  inference  from 
some  vague  hints  of  McNemar,  from  his  dancing  at  the  sacrament 
of  1804,§  and  from  the  fact  that  in  the  recent  schism  of  1838,  he 
sided  with  the  New  School  party.|| 


*  McNemar,  pp.  90,  101.  Stone's  Reply,  P.  S.,  p.  67,  Stone's  Lottcr  in  1806. 

+  McNemar,  pp.  92,  93. 

X  Stone  to  Marshall,  Marshall  MSS.  No.  8. 

I  McNemar,  p.  90. 

II  In  1845,  the  Old  School  Presbytery  of  Cravvfordsville  (Indiana)  made  an 
overture  of  re-union  to  the  New  School  Presbytery  of  the  same  name,  (being 
encouraged  to  do  so  by  some  friendly  hints  on  the  part  of  some  individual  mem- 
bers of  the  latter.)  The  action  of  his  Presbytery  was  anticipated  by  a  bitter  and 
pettish  review  from  the  pen  of  Mr.  Thomson,  in  which  he  took  occasion  to  de- 


210  THE    NEW    LIGHT    SCHISM. 

The  scheme  of  comprehensive  union,  however  plausible  in 
theory,  was  not  found  to  work  well  in  practice,  and  the  body 
became  more  and  more  disorganized.  There  was  a  universal 
want  of  order  and  agreement,  and  every  one  did  as  was  right  in 
his  own  eyes.*  Even  Mr.  Stone  admitted  the  prevailing  evils. 
A  letter  to  Mr.  Marshall  contained  the  following  confession  :  "  T 
see  the  Christian  Churches  wrong  in  many  things — they  are  not 
careful  to  support  preachers — they  encourage  too  many  trifling 
preachers — are  led  away  too  much  by  noise,  &c."t 

At  length  Messrs.  Marshall  and  Thomson  found  their  situation 
so  uneasy,  that  they  resolved  on  attempting  to  extricate  them- 
selves. As  soon  as  Mr.  Stone  discovered  this  disposition,  he  ad- 
dressed Mr.  Marshall  a  very  wily  letter,  in  which  he  appealed 
to  him,  by  every  motive  that  he  supposed  would  carry  weight 
with  it,  not  to  desert  him.  He  offered,  if  he  were  himself  in  the 
way,  to  retire,  and  give  up  the  whole  ground  to  them,  and  let 
them  proceed  as  they  might  judge  best,  averring  that  he  had  no 
desire  to  build  up  a  party,  but  only  to  preach  the  Gospel.  J  After 
much  correspondence,  extending  through  several  months,  these 
two  brethren  decided  to  apply  to  the  Synod  for  re-admission, 
and  if  denied,  to  attempt  to  form  a  new  and  orderly  organiza- 
tion.§     A  pamphlet  was  issued  in  their  joint  names,  containing  a 


nounce  the  acts  of  the  Old  School  Assembly  as  "  in  the  highest  degree  uncon- 
stitutional, revolutionary,  oppressive,  and  atrocious  ;"  and  insisted  that  his  party 
could  not  pass  over  to  the  other  "  without  loss  of  honor  and  compromise  of  prin- 
ciple." See  Reply  of  the  Committee  of  Crawfordsville  Presby.  Presb.  Her.,  July 
3lst,  1845. 

*  Thomson  to  Marshall,  Marshall  MSS.  No.  6. 

f  Stone  to  Marshall,  Marshall  MSS.  No.  8. 

I  Marshall  MSS.  No.  8. 

5  Thomson  to  Marshall,  Marshall  MSS.  No.  6,  7.  Dr.  Campbell  to  Dr. 
Alexander,  Prot.  and  Her.  vol.  x.  No.  37.  From  this  letter  it  appearsthat  Dr. 
C.  was  not  unaware  of  the  difficulties  attending  a  restoration,  and  was  anxious 
to  have  the  opinions  of  Eastern  divines  on  the  subject.  He  says  :  "  1.  Shall  we 
require  deep  remorse  and  extreme  humiliation  ?  2.  Or  shall  we  receive  them, 
as  men  who  ourselves  are  weak,  fallible  and  prone  to  err,  without  breaking  the 
bruised  reed  or  pressing  penitence  too  far  ?  3.  Must  they  be  ordained  again? 
or  4.  will  it  be  necessary  only  to  receive  them  in  order  to  the  resuscitation  of 
their  first  ordination  ?  5.  Will  it  be  necessary  to  rebaptize  those  they  have  bap- 
tized, to  re-ordain  those  they  have  ordained,  &.c.  6.  Or  will  our  recognition  of 
their  original  ordination  or  repentance  give  legality  and  character  to  their  bap- 
tisms, ordinations  and  the  like  ? — My  own  opinion  is  contained  in  the  2,  4,  and  6 
queries,  but  I  wish  you  to  take  the  opinion  of  our  brethren  in  your  quarter,  and 
send  it  with  your  own  on  these  questions,  as  I  mean  to  negotiate  with  these  peo- 
ple as  early  as  possible,  respecting  a  return  to  our  Church.  Marshall  and 
Thomson  are  really  valuable  men,  and  would  be  important  to  us.     Should  they 


THE    NEW   LIGHT   SCHISM. 


211 


candid  confession,  and  an  unequivocal  retraction  of  their  errors. 
This  they  did  in  preference  to  shpping  back  noiselessly  into  the 
Church  ;  because,  as  they  had  committed  a  public  wrong,  they 
deemed  it  their  duty  to  make  as  public  an  atonement.*  Mr.  Rice 
was  not  perfectly  satisfied  of  the  soundness  of  all  their  positions, 
and  while  he  hailed  their  return,  he  took  the  liberty  of  frankly 
communicating  his  disapprobation  in  a  letter.f 

The  preliminary  negotiations,  which  Dr.  Campbell  was  a  main 
agent  in  conducting,J  having  terminated  auspiciously, on  the  12th 
of  October,  1811,  just  eight  years  after  their  declining  the  juris- 
diction of  the  Synod  of  Kentucky,  Messrs.  Marshall  and  Thom- 
son applied  to  the  same  body,  by  letter,  for  re-admission.  They 
submitted  to  an  examination  concerning  the  doctrines  of  the 
Trinity,  Decrees,  Agency  of  the  Spirit  in  Regeneration,  Free- 
dom of  the  Will,  Faith  in  Jesus  Christ,  Atonement,  and  Baptism, 
on  all  which  points  they  gave  orthodox  and  satisfactory  answers, 
unhesitatingly  assenting  to  the  Confession  and  Discipline.  They 
explained  their  conduct  in  continuing  to  preach  after  suspension, 
by  a  sincere  desire  to  benefit  the  people  who  had  seceded ;  and 
declared  their  hearty  sorrow  for  it,  and  their  full  conviction  of 
its  evil  consequences.  The  Synod  removed  the  sentence  of  sus- 
pension, the  Rev.  Matthew  G.  Wallace  only  entering  his  dissent, 
and  directed  the  Presbyteries  of  West  Lexington  and  Miami  to 
meet  in  the  following  month,  the  first  to  re-admit  and  restore  Mr. 
Marshall,  and  the  latter  to  re-admit  and  restore  Mr.  Thomson  ;§ 
which  was  accordingly  done,  and  these  brethren  orderly  re- 
stored to  the  exercise  of  the  functions  of  the  Gospel  Ministry  in 
the  Presbyterian  Church.|i     Their  return  was  welcomed  with 


organize  and  separate  from  their  quondam  brethren,  the  New  Lights,  thej' will  do 
us  more  harm  than  before.  Their  warmtli  united  witli  sound  principles  and  ^ood 
order,  will  make  them  formidable  to  us  at  a  time  when  we  have  a  great  lack  of 
preachers." 

*  Thomson  to  Marshall,  Marshall  MSS.,  No.  6. 

t  Marshall  MSS.,  No.  9. 

I  Campbell's  Letter  to  Marshall,  dated  April  13,  1811,  Marshall  MSS.  No.  4. 
This  letter  breathes  a  delightfully  pious  spirit,  and  assures  him  there  will  be  no 
difficulty,  and  that  there  prevails  no  other  than  a  cordial  and  friendly  feeling. 

h  Minutes  Syn.  Ky.,  vol.  ii.  p.  11, 12,  19. 

fl  Min.  Syn.  vol.  ii.  p.  33.  Mr.  Marshall  was  restored,  November  13, 1811, 
at  a  meeting  of  West  Lexington  Presbytery  called  for  the  purpose,  after  making 
satisfactory  declarations  of  his  views  and  feelings ;  and  was  immediately  ap- 
pointed to  supply  several  vacancies,  and  in  August  of  the  following  year,  was 
appointed  a  missionary  in  their  bounds  for  three  months.  Min.  VV.  Lex.  Pby., 
vol.  ii.  pp.  30,  40. 


212  THE   NEW   LIGHT   SCHISM. 

the  most  cordial  and  friendly  feelings  by  the  whole  Presbyterian 
body.* 

Mr.  Stone  was  thus  doomed  to  the  bitter  mortification  of  see- 
ing the  last  of  his  coadjutors  desert  him,  leaving  his  party 
crippled  and  dispirited.  Two  of  the  original  five  who  withdrew 
from  the  Synod,  had  joined  the  Shakers,  together  with  the  first 
proselyte  of  his  Letters ;  and  now  the  two  remaining,  the  most 
respectable  and  influential,  left  him,  to  throw  themselves  again, 
penitently,  into  the  bosom  of  the  Church  they  had  forsaken. 

While  the  Stoneites  (so  called  from  their  sole  remaining  lead- 
er, as  before  they  had  been  occasionally  called  Marshallites) 
were  thus  torn  and  distracted,  the  cause  of  Orthodoxy  was  re- 
viving. The  Synodical  Narrative  of  the  State  of  Religion 
spoke  encouragingly.  It  reported  the  return  of  some  to  the 
bosom  of  the  Church ;  increased  attention  to  the  means  of  grace ; 
the  marked  benefits  of  catechetical  instruction ;  and  the  success 
of  missionary  efforts  conducted  by  certain  members  of  the 
Synod.  The  missionary  collections  amounted  to  the  sum  of 
$283.53.t 

Mr.  Stone,  at  the  close  of  his  "  Reply"  to  Dr.  Campbell's 
Strictures,  had  declared  his  intention  never  again  to  enter  on 
the  field  of  authorship; J  but  about  nine  years  after  in  1814, 
(the  same  year  in  which  his  great  antagonist  died,)  forgetful 
of  his  pledge,  he  published  a  bulky  "  Address  to  the  Christian 
Churches  in  Kerducky,  Tennessee^  and  Ohio."  This  was,  indeed, 
highly  proper  in  a  man  who  was  looked  up  to  as  the  sole  ac- 
knowledged leader  of  the  sect,  and  who  stood  to  them  in  the 
relation  of  a  sort  of  Universal  Bishop  ;  but  it  drew  forth  an 
able  review  from  the  pen  of  (Dr.)  Thomas  Cleland,  marked  by 
great  acuteness,  industry,  and  research.  This  pamphlet  com- 
prised 101  pages,  and  was  entitled  "  The  Socini-Arian  Detected" 
in  a  series  of  six  letters  to  Mr.  Stone. 

As  Mr.  Stone  had  formerly  been  very  reserved  on  the  subject 


*  Marshall  MSS.  No.  4.     Bishop's  Rice,  p.  140. 

t  Min.  Syn.  vol.  ii.  pp.  13,  18.  At  this  meeting  the  case  of  Dr.  Fishback,  a 
disciple  of  Craighead,  was  acted  on,  of  which  more  will  be  said  hereafter.  It  is 
worthy  of  note  that  at  so  early  a  period,  (181 1,)  the  Synod  sent  a  petition  to 
Congress  against  carrying  the  mails  on  Sabbath  days.  Dr.  Blythe  was  placed 
at  the  head  of  the  committee  to  draft  it.     p.  14. 

X  Reply,  p.  66. 


THE    NEW    LIGHT    SCHISM.  213 

of  Christ's  equality  with  the  Father,  Dr.  Campbell  had  paid 
more  attention  to  his  Pelagian  views  ;  but  Mr.  8tone  having 
now  thrown  off  the  mask  and  argued  the  question  at  some 
length,  Mr.  Cleland  properly  expended  most  of  his  strength  up- 
on the  former  topic  to  which  the  first  three  letters  related,  while 
the  last  three  treated  of  the  Atonement,  the  Propitiatory  Sacri- 
fice of  Christ,  Human  Depravity,  Regeneration,  and  Faith. 

In  this  Essay  a  statement  of  Mr.  Stone  was  commented  upon 
with  some  pungency.  He  had  declared  that  his  views  on  the 
subject  of  the  Divinity  of  Christ  had  not  wavered  for  twenty 
years.  Yet,  only  sixteen  years  before,  at  his  ordination  by  the 
Presbytery  of  Transylvania,  Oct.  4th,  1798,  (to  say  nothing  of 
his  previous  examinations  for  licensure,)  he  had  expressed  his 
sincere  approbation  of  the  Confession  of  Faith,  the  doctrines  of 
which  book,  on  the  consubstantiality  and  equality  of  Christ 
with  the  Father,  are  unequivocal.  Thus,  on  three  several  oc- 
casions, his  licensure  by  Orange  Presbytery,  his  reception  by 
Transylvania,  and  his  ordination  as  pastor  of  Cane  Ridge  and 
Concord  Churches,  Mr.  Stone  laid  himself  open  to  a  serious 
charge  of  dishonesty.* 

Stung  by  this  attack,  Mr.  Stone  applied  to  Mr.  Marshall  for  a 
certificate,  stating  that  he  had  professed  at  the  tims  to  receive 
the  Confession  only  as  far  as  he  saw  it  was  agreeable  to  the  word 
of  God,  and  so  could  not  have  deceived  the  Presbytery,  f  Mr. 
Marshall's  reply  was  very  unsatisfactory.  He  said  that  his 
recollection  of  the  circumstances  was  imperfect,  but  reminded 
Mr.  Stone  that  he  must  be  aware  if  the  Presbytery  had  sus- 
pected his  entertaining  those  erroneous  opinions,  they  never 
would  have  ordained  him.  They  had  both  held  Dr.  Watts' 
views  on  the  pre-existence  of  Christ's  human  soul,  but  had  never 
been  charged  on  that  account  with  making  him  a  creature  onlv. 
With  a  charitable  desire  to  save  Mr.  Stone's  honesty,  he  seemed 
willing  to  believe  that  his  views  had  changed,  and  that  his  vague 
and  confused  method  had  led  the  reviewer  innocently  to  connect 
what  should  have  been  separated.  He  closed  with  expressing 
his  belief  that  Mr.  Stone  was  in  error  of  the  most  dangerous 
kind,  from  which  he  prayed  God  to  deliver  him. J 


*  Socini-Arian  Detected,  p.  36.  f  Marshall  MSS.  No.  10. 

J  Marshall  MSS.  No.  11. 


214  THE    NEW    LIGHT    SCHISM. 

Although  Mr.  Stone,  in  his  letter,  disavowed  all  intention  of 
noticing  Dr.  Cleland,  he  again  hroke  his  resolution,  and  publish- 
ed a  justification ;  which  provoked  another  pamphlet  in  turn 
from  the  reviewer.  Dr.  Cleland's  writings  had  an  extensive 
circulation,  and  were  considered  very  able  and  useful.* 

In  a  second  edition  of  his  "Address,"  in  1821,t  Mr.  Stone 
referred  to  the  charge  of  dishonesty ;  nnd,  to  exculpate  himself, 
published  two  certificates,  one  signed  by  eight  persons  and  dated 
1818,  the  other  signed  by  five  persons  and  dated  1821,  testify- 
ing that  they  had  heard  Mr.  Stone  teach  the  pre-existence  of' 
the  human  soul  of  Jesus  Christ,  at  least  twenty  years  prior  to 
date  ;  and  three  certificates,  signed  by  six  individuals,  bearing 
the  above  dates,  testifying  that  they  had  been  present  at  Mr. 
Stone's  ordination,  and  had  heard  him,  when  asked,  "  do  you  re- 
ceive and  adopt  the  Confession  ?"  except  in  the  following  or  like 
words,  "  I  do,  as  far  as  I  see  it  consistent  with  the  word  of  God." 
He  represented  himself  as  greatly  aggrieved  by  the  Presby- 
tery's having  omitted  to  make  any  record  of  the  exception.  J 

After  a  time  rose  another  Heresiarch,  before  whose  more  bril- 
liant star  the  influence  of  Mr.  Stone's  began  to  wane.  This  was 
Alexander  Campbell,  a  native  of  Scotland,  and  now  a  resi- 
dent in  Bethany,  Virginia.  He  was  at  one  time  a  Presbyterian 
minister,  connected  with  the  Presbytery  of  Redstone,  in  West- 
ern Pennsylvania.  His  motives  for  entering  the  ministry,  were, 
according  to  his  own  subsequent  acknowledgment,  selfish  and 
ambitious  ;  but  in  his  subsequent  career  he  professed  to  be 
governed  by  purer  aims,  and  to  be  captivated  by  the  liberal  and 
anti-sectarian  views  so  popular  at  the  beginning  of  the  present 
century.§  His  enemies,  indeed,  computing  the  lucrative  results 
of  his  vast  editions  of  his  own  version  of  the  New  Testament,  of 
his  hymn-books,  of  his  Christian  System,  and  of  his  monthly  Mil- 


*  Bishop's  Rice,  p.  139. 

t  Pp.  102, 12tno.  J.  T.  Gavins  &  Co.,  Lexington. 

J  Address,  pp.  32,  33,  34.  Dr.  B.  F.  Hall,  editor  of  a  Cainpbellite  periodical 
in  Louisville,  has  recently  endeavored  to  vindicate  the  orthodoxy  of  Mr.  Stone  ; 
which  Dr.  Cleland  has  ably  refuted  in  the  Presbyterian  Herald,  Aug.  13th,  1846. 
Dr.  Campbell  was  also  charged  with  having  suggested  to  Mr.  Stone  the  guarded 
answer  at  his  ordination.  P>om  an  inspection  of  the  minutes,  he  appears  to 
have  been  absent  on  that  occasion. 

5  See  his  own  account  of  his  religious  experience,  Prot.  and  Her.  vol.  xiii. 
No.  40. 


THE    NEW    LIGHT    SCHISM.  .  215 

lennial  Harbinger  ;  to  say  nothing  of  his  power  and  fame  as  the 
founder  of  a  numerous  sect,  and  president  of  a  tiiriving  college, 
(the  pet  project  of  his  latter  years  ;)  have  not  hesitated  to  ques- 
tion the  purity  of  his  motives. 

He  and  his  father,  with  their  congregations,  renounced  the 
Presbyterian  communion  in  1812,  an^d  joined  the  Redstone  Bap- 
tist Association.  Being  a  man  of  great  natural  gifts  ;  a  cool, 
clear  head ;  a  smooth,  oily  eloquence  ;  a  respectable  share  of 
learning;  considerable  knowledge  of  human  nature  ;  and  a  keen 
polemical  turn  ;*  he  gradually  made  a  number  of  converts  to  his 
no-creed  views,  in  the  face  of  strong  opposition.  In  1823,  he 
openly  raised  his  banner,  by  the  publication  of  a  periodical  enti- 
tled "  The  Christian  Baptist"  .  The  Ancient  Gospel  and  Order 
were  now  zealously  proclaimed,  till  the  Orthodox  Baptist 
Churches,  roused  to  a  sense  of  their  danger,  began,  after  the 
year  1827,  to  disown  all  fellowship  with  them.  The  party  were 
thus  driven  to  form  themselves  into  separate  Societies.  Great 
agitation  ensued,  and  the  Baptist  Churches  were  split  and  divid- 
ed in  every  direction.  Such  was  the  zeal  of  the  Proclaimers, 
that  they  swept  over  Virginia,  Kentucky,  and  the  western  coun- 
try, like  a  torrent ;  whole  churches,  both  of  Baptists  and  Metho- 
dists, occasionally  declaring  for  them ;  and  their  progress  has 
been  onward  ever  since,  swelling,  in  less  than  twenty  years,  to 
the  number  of  150,000  members,  and  upwards. f  From  a 
pamphlet  published  by  Mr.  S.  M.  Scott,  it  appears  that  in  the 
State  of  Kentucky,  during  the  year  1845,  there  were  380 
churches,  33,830  communicants,  195  preachers,  666  elders,  and 


*  Mr.  Campbell's  forte  is  controversy.  He  has  been  a  man  of  war  from  his 
youth.  In  18-20,  he  had  an  oral  debate  with  the  Rev.  Mr.  Walker,  a  Seccder;  in 
1823,  with  Rev.  William  L.  ]McCalla,  a  Presbyterian,  on  the  mode  and  subjects  of 
Baptism  ;  and  at  another  time  with  the  late  Dr.  Obadiah  Jennings,  of  Nashville. 
He  has  debated  publicly  with  Abner  Kneeland,on  Atheism  ;  with  Robert  Owen, 
of  Lanark,  on  Socialism  ;  and  with  Bishop  Purcell,  on  Romanism.  His  last  de- 
bate was  with  the  Rev.  Nathan  L.  Rice,  a  Presbyterian  clergyman,  Nov.  15,  1843, 
on  Baptism,  Spiritual  Influence,  and  Creeds.  This  was  remarkable  for  its  inci- 
dents. Four  preachers  of  note,  on  each  side,  were  chosen  as  Associates ;  and 
three  distinguished  gentlemen  as  Moderators,  of  whom  the  lion.  Henry  Clay  was 
P^esiden^  The  debate  was  held  in  Lexington,  and  lasted  three  weeks.  Although 
Mr.  C.  at  first  affected  to  despise  the  youth  and  abilities  of  his  opponent,  the  gene- 
ral opinion  is,  that  he  sustained  a  signal  defeat.  The  language  of  his  friends  was 
that  of  apology,  not  of  triumph  ;  and  his  manifest  loss  of  temper  during  the  de- 
bate was  symptomatic  of  anything  but  a  consciousness  of  invincibility. 

f  Encycl.  Relig.  Kn.  art.  Disciples.     Amer.  Almanac,  for  1845. 


2l6  THE    NEW   LIGHT    SCHISxM. 

670  deacons.     Of  the  churches,    103   met   weekly,    G8    semi- 
monthly, 6  tri-monthly,  and  92  monthly. 

*'  The  Ancient  Gospel  and  Order"  were,  indeed,  sufficiently 
simple.  "  Believe  and  obey,"  were  its  sole  terms.  "  Believe," 
with  the  eunuch,  the  scriptural  formula,  that  Jesus  Christ  is  the 
Son  of  God ;  "  Obey"  the  scriptural  command  to  be  immersed 
for  the  remission  of  sins.*  Creeds  were  discarded  as  antiquated 
lumber  ;  the  Bible  alone  was  the  standard  ;  all  terms  not  found 
in  the  Bible,  such  as  the  term  Trinity,  were  rejected  as  scho- 
lastic. There  was  no  Regeneration  apart  from  immersion  in 
water.  The  direct  influence  of  the  Holy  Ghost  upon  the  heart 
was  ridiculed.  Remission  was  obtained  in  the  act  of  immer- 
sion ;  and  those  who  refused  it,_  whatever  their  repentance  or 
faith,  were  still  in  their  sins.f 

The  new  sect  were  commonly  known  as  Campbellites,  al- 
though they  themselves  affected  the  title  of  Reformers,  or 
Reformed  Baptists,  and  spoke  of  "  The  Reformation"  as  if  there 
never  had  been  any  Reformation  before.  After  some  debate 
and  wavering  between  the  names  "Disciples  of  Christ"  and 
*'  Christians,"  they  at  last  settled  down  upon  the  latter  and 
acknowledge  no  other  appellation. J  Each  congregation  is 
independent  of  all  others,  and  no  church  officer  has  any  author- 
ity out  of  the  congregation  which  elected  him.  Preachers  are 
not  required  to  profess  their  belief  that  they  are  led  by  the  Holy 
Ghost  to  seek  the  ministry.  As  written  creeds  are  rejected,  the 
denial  of  the  proper  divinity  of  Christ  is  no  bar  to  communion. 
From  one-third  to  one-half  the  body  disbelieve  the  doctrine. 


*  Dr.  Baird's  Religion  in  America,  p.  252.  It  is  not  without  some  misgivings 
that  this  judicious  and  discriminating  author  classes  the  Campbellites  among  the 
Evangelical  sects. 

f  Mr.  Campbell  has  been  for  some  time  considered  less  heterodox  than  his 
followers,  and  he  has  certainly  expressed  great  dissatisfaction  with  the  hetero- 
geneous Babel  of  opinions  held  and  preached  among  them.  "  We  have  had," 
says  he,  (Millen.  Harbinger,  vol.  vi.  p.  64,)  "  a  very  large  portion  of  this  unhap- 
py and  mischievous  influence  to  contend  with.  Every  sort  of  doctrine  has  been 
proclaimed  by  almost  all  sorts  of  preachers,  under  the  broad  banners  and  with  the 
supposed  sanction  of  the  begun  reformation."  He  has  also  been  thought  to  have 
become  less  bigoted  in  his  views  of  baptism,  admitting  that  it  is  possible  for  an 
unimmersed  person  to  be  a  Christian  ;  and  whereas  he  formerly  taught  that 
without  immersion  one  could  neither  receive  nor  enjoy  the  privileges  of  a  Chris- 
tian, he  has,  in  later  editions  of  his  Christian  System,  omitted  the  word  receive; 
apparently  conceding  that  one  may  be  a  Christian,  but  be  destitute  of  the  full 
assurance  of  the  fact.     See  Debate  with  Rice,  pp.  650,  562. 

J  Encycl.  of  Relig.  Kn.  art.  Disoiples. 


^,  THE   NEW   LIGHT   SCHISM.  217 

They  observe  "the  breaking  of  the  loaf"  every  Lord's  day,  and 
consider  a  weekly  collection  as  a  binding  appointment.  The 
noble  and  animated  hymn,  "  Come,  Holy  Spirit,  Heavenly 
Dove  !"  is  never  permitted  to  vibrate  on  their  tongues,  because 
they  deny  that  the  Spirit  is  a  personal  agent  or  anything  more 
than  a  mere  influence  ;  and  they  sing,  '•  Since  I  can  read  my  title 
clear,"  instead  of  "  When  I  can  read  my  title  clear,"  because  a 
believer  who  has  been  immersed  can  have  no  doubt  of  his  title. 
They  sing  standing  up  ;  and  during  the  exercise  are  in  the  habit 
of  shaking  hands  with  all  around  them,  with  much  apparent 
warmth  and  friendliness  ;  thus  giving  the  idea  of  their  greatly 
enjoying  religion,  and  being  a  company  of  very  happy  Chris- 
tians. Professing  to  be  liberal,  they  are  a  bitter  anti-sectarian 
sect ;  and  while  they  denounce  all  others  in  unmeasured  terms, 
none  come  in  for  a  fiercer  share  of  their  hostility  than  the  Pres- 
byterians. 

With  so  many  points  of  coincidence  between  the  Campbellites 
and  the  Stoneites,  it  is  not  wonderful  that  they  should  in  process 
of  time  have  amalgamated.  This  union  was  effected  in  1831,  in 
a  solemn  conference,  wherein  they  discovered,  notwithstanding 
Mr.  Stone's  Arian  views,  that  they  stood  on  the  same  foundation, 
(the  New  Testament,  apart  from  creeds  ;)  wore  the  same  name  ; 
and  ought  to  constitute  the  same  family.  Messrs.  Smith  and 
Rogers  were  sent  forth  to  travel  among  the  churches  in  order 
to  consolidate  the  union.*  Since  that  time  they  have  formed 
one  body  ;  or  rather,  the  Stoneites  have  been  absorbed  in  the 
Campbellites,  and,  as  a  body,  have  become  extinct.  As  their 
leader  has  recently  deceased,  even  that  feeble  bond  of  union  has 
been  dissolved.f 


*  Stone's  Christian  Messenger,  for  Jan.,  1832. 

f  Mr.  Campbell  boasted,  in  his  debate  with  Mr.  Rice,  tliat  he  had  accom- 
plished what  the  Presbyterians  had  failed  to  achieve — extinction  of  New  Liffht- 
ism.  His  aim  was  "  to  save  some  of  those  speculators,"  the  honest  and  candid ; 
and  "  to  paralyze  and  silence"  the  uncandid.  "  Whither,"  ho  asked,  "  has  fled 
the  New  Lightism  of  former  diys?  How  long  will  its  speculations  be  remem- 
bered, that  floated  on  the  winds  of  thirty  years  ?  Presbyterians,  and  all  the 
other  parties  in  tlie  field,  could  not  dispose  of  it,  till  the  pleaders  for  the  Refor- 
mation arose  in  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land."  Debate,  p.  8G5.  Some  of 
those  who  had  formerly  been  New  Jiights,  were  highly  disjileased  with  these  re- 
presentations, as  doing  injustice  to  Mr.  Stone,  and  wrote  Mr.  C.  a  letter,  which 
was  published  in  the  Harbinger,  affirming  that  they  had  come  in  on  terms  of 
perfect  equality  and  union,  and  that  neither  considered  the  other  party  as  holding 
speculations  "  of  a  damning  character,"  or  "  subversive  of  Christian  faith  and 


218  THE   NEW   LIGHT    SCHISM. 

Barton  W.  Stone  came  to  Kentucky  in  1797,  as  a  licentiate 
from  the  Presbytery  of  Orange,  North  Carolina.  He  was  or- 
dained in  the  following  year,  pastor  of  Cane  Ridge  and  Concord 
Churches.  lie  was  a  man  of  placid  mien,  great  suavity  of  man- 
ners, very  insinuating,  plausible,  and  intriguing;  and  thence 
acquired  considerable  influence.  Although  his  talents  were  but 
moderate,  and  his  learning  not  above  mediocrity,  he  was  a  popu- 
lar preacher.  His  style  was  not  alarming,  but  persuasive.* 
His  mind  appears  to  have  been  very  unstable  in  regard  to  doc- 
trinal points.  In  1799,  a  year  after  his  ordination,  we  find  him 
troubled  with  difliculties  about  Infant  Baptism,  and  seeking  a 
solution  confidentially  from  Mr.  Marshall. f  He  early  imbibed 
Arminian  tenets,  and  had  Arian  tendencies  also,  but  kept  them 
better  concealed  from  public  suspicion. J  Dr.  Campbell  was  of 
opinion,  from  documents  in  his  possession,  that  it  was  Mr. 
Craighead  who  first  seduced  him,  as  well  as  Houston,  into  error  : 
that  Stone  then  led  astray  McNemar ;  and  McNemar,  Dunlavy.§ 

His  first  mistake  was,  like  other  enthusiasts,  to  make  his  feel- 
ings a  criterion  of  truth.  He  rejected  the  sovereignty  of  God 
in  Election,  because  it  was  repugnant  to  his  benevolence.|l  He 
decided  against  Calvinism,  because,  on  a  comparison  of  the  spirit 
in  him  with  the  word  of  truth,  he  could  not  doubt  that  it  was 
the  spirit  of  truth.U  In  one  of  his  solitary  walks,  reflecting  on 
the  words  of  Christ  to  Peter,  his  soul  was  filled  with  an  indescri- 
bable rapture  ;  he  sank  into  God,  and  was  fully  relieved,  living 
for  months  in  a  heaven  of  love,  without  a  doubt,  cloud,  or  fear.** 
Thus  he  allowed  himself  to  be  deluded  by  raptures  which  are 
known  to  proceed  sometimes  from  false  views  of  religion,  and 
which,  so  far  from  proving  the  soundness  of  any  given  position, 
may  only  result  from  a  deceived  heart ;  like  those  of  the  Fakirs 
of  India,  and  the  Romish  devotee  before  a  crucifix.     Scriptural 


practice."  Prot.  and  Herald,  for  Sept.  12,  1844.  In  a  society  which  indis- 
criminately admitted  Calvinists  and  Arminians,  Arians,  Socinians,  Universal- 
ists,  and  even  MateriaUsts,  the  above  discrepancy  is  not  surprising.  Debate, 
p.  856. 

*  For  the  sketch  of  Mr.  Stone,  the  writer  is  largely  indebted  to  Mr.  Stuart. 

t  Marshall  MSS.  No.  1. 

i  Cleland's  Socini-Arian  Detected,  p.  36. 

^  Campbell's  Letter  to  Dr.  Alexander,  Jan.  10,  1811.  Prot.  and  Herald,  Aug. 
12,  1841. 

II  Reply,  p.  4.         H  Reply,  p.  6.        **  Reply,  p.  5. 


THE   NEW    LIGHT   SCHISM.  219 

and  proper  views  of  God  rather  appear  to  produce  effects  the 
contrary  of  vohiptuous  ecstacies,  as  in  the  cases  of  Abraham, 
Jacob,  Job,  Isaiah,  Daniel,  and  John,  who  were  overwhelmed 
with  a  holy  dread  of  the  Divine  majesty,  and  fainted  away  before 
it.  In  the  state  of  awful  confusion  into  which  Mr.  Stone's  mind 
was  plunged  by  his  inward  conflicts,  he  paid  a  visit  to  the  lower 
part  of  the  State,  and  witnessed  the  wonders  of  the  Green  river 
Revival.  His  passions  again  misled  his  judgment ;  he  "  knew 
the  voice  and  felt  the  power,"  and  returned  home  fully  satisfied 
of  the  correctness  of  his  views.* 

A  pitiable  spectacle  is  here  presented,  of  a  man  who  after- 
ward aspired  to  head  a  formidable  schism,  tossed  for  a  series  of 
years  on  the  fluctuating  sea  of  doubt ;  at  one  time  satisfied,  at 
another  hesitating  ;  now  sunk  in  the  blackest  gloom,  again  exult- 
ng  in  ineffable  transports ;  nothing  fixed,  nothing  solid,  nothing 
permanent. 

In  the  Great  Revival,  JMr.  Stone  was  conspicuous.  He  em- 
braced an  early  opportunity  to  promulgate  his  peculiar  views, 
which  he  styled  "  the  true  and  new  Gospel,"  and  was  foremost 
in  encouraging  the  extravagances  of  the  times.-f  The  Falling 
Exercise  seems  to  have  begun  in  Northern  Kentucky,  in  his  con- 
gregation at  Cane  Ridge.  In  all  the  affairs  connected  with  the 
schism,  the  organization  of  Springfield  Presbytery,  and  the  sub- 
sequent formation  of  societies,  known  under  the  various  names  of 
New  Lights,  Christians,  Arians,  Marshallites,  and  Stoneites,  he 
was  the  leading  spirit,  until  they  were  merged  in  the  all-embracing 
vortex  of  Campbelhsm,  in  1831.  The  desertion  of  Houston, 
McNemar,  and  Dunlavy  to  the  Shakers,  and  the  return  of  Marshall 
and  Thomson  to  the  Synod,  gave  his  cause  a  death-blow  from 
which  it  never  recovered.  Unable  to  maintain  a  flourishing  so- 
ciety permanently  in  any  one  place,  he  frequently  changed  his  resi- 
dence, and  the  scene  of  his  operations,  till  at  last,  shorn  of  that 
influence  and  popularity  which  had  formerly  attracted  thousands 
and  elated  his  heart  with  vanity,  he  died  in  Indiana,  in  1844,  a 
melancholy  beacon  to  unstable  and  schismatical  spirits. 

Richard  McNemar  emigrated  to  Ohio  from  Western  Penn- 
sylvania, about  the  year  1801,  and  was  settled  over  Cabin  Creek 


♦Reply,  p.  6.  f  Lyle's  Diar}',  pp.  1,  21,  127. 


220  THE    NEW    LIGHT    SCHISM. 

congregation,  above  Maysville.  He  was  of  a  sprightly,  active, 
and  enthusiastic  turn ;  an  agreeable  address,  a  prepossessing 
appearance,  and  respectable  natural  parts,  but  of  weak  judgment. 
He  was  a  portly,  fine-looking  man,  tall  and  erect,  six  feet  high, 
and  of  a  stout  frame.  He  was  a  popular  declamatory  preacher, 
warm,  animated,  lively  in  desultory  exhortation,  and  apparently 
sincere.  He  spoke  and  sang  with  all  his  heart.  Ecstatic  joy 
sometimes  shone  in  his  whole  face.  He  became  a  leading  man, 
and  a  general  favorite.  There  was  an  aflfectation  of  sanctity  in 
his  manners  which  was  very  captivating  with  the  multitude,  who 
are  easily  carried  away  by  such  appearances.  He  would  take 
off  his  shoes  on  ascending  the  pulpit  or  the  stand,  saying  it  was 
holy  ground.  He  encouraged  the  Jerks,  and  did  all  in  his  power 
to  stimulate  the  excitement  to  its  height. 

He  imbibed  the  sentiments  of  Marshall  and  Stone,  and  preach- 
ed the  New  Gospel  with  zeal.  His  irregularities  having  been 
brought  before  the  Presbytery  of  Washington,  through  the 
agency  of  John  Robb,  an  orthodox  elder  of  his  church,  and  a 
complaint  signed  by  eighty  individuals,  he  became  one  of  the  five 
who  disowned  the  jurisdiction  of  Synod,  and  constituted  the 
independent  Presbytery  of  Springfield.  On  its  dissolution,  Mr. 
McNemar  was  active  in  forming  the  New  Light  or  Christian 
connection ;  till  in  May,  1805,  the  Shakers  made  an  easy  con- 
quest of  him,  and  thirty  or  forty  of  his  prominent  parishioners. 
He  soon  after  published  his  Account  of  the  Kentucky  Revival, 
and  its  attainment  of  perfection  in  Shakerism.  The  closing 
paragraph  of  this  vivacious  history  is  amusing,  (p.  104.)  "O 
my  Richard,  (adds  Barton,)  shall  I  ever  rejoice  over  you  as  a 
penitent  prodigal  V  *'  Now,  (replies  Richard,)  if  ever  :  I  have 
just  returned  from  feeding  the  swine,  confessed  my  sins,  been 
completely  stripped,  and  clad  with  a  suit  completely  new.  The 
door  has  been  opened  into  my  Father's  house,  and  I  have  enter- 
ed, to  go  out  no  more.  Now  the  family  begins  to  be  merry,  and 
the  elder  son  to  wonder  what  it  means,  willing  to  get  news  from 
the  meanest  scullion.  Don't  you  hear  that  it  is  MUSIC  and 
DANCING  ?     And  is  not  the  Father  entreating  you  to  come  in  ? 

"  Then — Brother  cast  your  anger  off,  and  every  passion  bury ; 

Come  in  and  share  the  fatted  calf,  and  let  us  all  be  merry. 

Will  you  grieve  about  a  kid,  when  the  calf  is  killed, 

If  you  come  in  when  you  arc  bid,  you  may  yet  be  filled." 


THE  NEW  LIGHT   SCHISM.  221 

This  doggerel  appears  to  be  of  McNemar's  own  composition,  as 
well  as  some  other  strains  commemorative  of  the  historic  scenes 
he  was  describing  in  prose,  fairly  entitling  him  to  the  post  of  the 
Shaker  Asaph. 


"  Five  preachers  formed  a  body,  in  eighteen  hundred  three, 
From  Antichrist's  false  systems  to  set  the  people  free  : 
His  doctrine  and  his  worship  in  pieces  they  did  tear, 
But  ere  the  scene  was  ended,  these  men  became  a  snare. 

*  *  «  *  « 

In  their  Last  Will  and  Testament  thoy  published  a  decree, 
For  Christians  in  Ohio,  Kentuck'  and  Tennessee, 
To  meet  the  next  October,  and  swell  the  solemn  prayer — 
'  Thy  kingdom  come,  Lord  Jesus,  thy  kingdom  enter  here !' 

The  meeting  was  observed,  the  solemn  prayer  was  made  ; 
They  waited  for  an  answer,  which  was  not  long  delay'd  ; 
Tlie  precious  seed  of  Canaan,  long  growing  in  the  east, 
Was  planted  in  Ohio,  ere  the  next  April  feast. 

The  long  expected  kingdom  at  length  began  to  spring, 
Which  to  many  has  appeared  a  strange  mysterious  thing : 
But  we'll  trace  it  through  that  summer,  the  hottest  scene  of  all, 
And  try  to  find  its  fruit  in  the  next  ensuing  fall." 

Mr.  McNemar  took  up  his  residence  at  Union,  a  Shaker  vil- 
lage near  Lebanon,  in  Ohio,  where  he  yet  lives,  with  Mr.  Hous- 
ton. He  has  been  known  occasionally,  of  late  years,  to  find  his 
way  into  his  old  friend  Dr.  Wilson's  church,  and  to  express 
himself  gratified  with  the  Doctor's  discourses. 

John  Dunlavy  was  from  Western  Pennsylvania;  and  after 
teaching  a  school  for  some  time  in  Kentucky,  he  removed  to  Ohio, 
and  finally  was  settled  as  pastor  of  the  Eagle  Creek  congrega- 
tion, between  Ripley  and  West  Union.  He  was  the  exact 
opposite  of  Mr.  McNemar,  by  whose  influence,  however,  he  was 
led  astray.  He  was  one  of  the  most  gloomy,  reserved,  and 
saturnine  men  that  ever  lived  ;  his  soul  seemed  to  be  in  harmony 
with  no  one  lively  or  social  feeling,  and  the  groans  which  he 
continually  uttered  drove  away  all  pleasure  in  his  company.  He 
was  above  the  middle  stature,  and  well  proportioned,  but  of 
swarthy  complexion  and  dark,  forbidding  countenance.  His 
manners  were  coarse,  rough,  and  repulsive.  His  talents  were 
15 


222  THE   NEW   LIGHT   SCHISM. 

not  above  mediocrity;  his  knowledge  was  superficial;  he  was 
never  regarded  as  a  leading  or  influential  man,  nor  was  he  a 
popular  preacher.     His  favorite  topics  were  those  of  terror,  not 

consolation. 

He  followed  McNemar  through  all  his  vagaries,  till  they  botti 
landed  in  Shakerism.  Fired  with  a  passion  for  authorship,  he 
published  at  the  Shaker  village  of  Pleasant  Hill,  in  Kentucky, 
in  1813,  a  dull  and  heavy  octavo  of  520  pages,  entitled,  "The 
Manifesto,  or  a  Declaration  of  the  doctrines  and  practice  of  the 
Church  of  Christ ;"  designed  as  an  exposition  and  defence  of  the 
peculiarities  of  Shakerism,  of  which  he  professed  to  grow  more 
and  more  enamored.  Mr.  Dunlavy  died  several  years  ago  at 
Union. 


CHAPTER     IX. 


THE    CUMBERLAND    TRESBYTERIAN    SCHISM. 

Unlike  the  still  small  voice,  or  the  softly  flowing  waters  of 
^iloa,  the  Great  Revival  of  1800  rather  resembled  the  whirlwind, 
the  earthquake,  the  impetuous  torrent,  whose  track  was  marked 
by  violence  and  desolation.  While  numbers  in  the  northern  and 
central  portions  of  Kentucky  were  running  into  the  vagaries  of 
the  New  Lights,  or  rushing  from  one  extreme  of  wild  extrava- 
gance to  the  other  of  Shaker  mysticism,  the  south-western  portion 
witnessed  the  gradual  maturing  of  preparations  for  similar  delu- 
sions, and  a  more  permanent  schism.  This  region,  watered  by 
Green  and  Cumberland  rivers,  was  thence  known  sometimes  as 
the  Green  river  country,  by  which  appellation  it  is  still  fami- 
liarly designated ;  sometimes  as  the  Cumberland  Settlements ; 
which  latter  circumstance  gave  a  name  to  the  Presbytery,  and 
afterward  to  the  sect  of  which  we  are  now  to  treat. 

The  commencement  of  the  Revival,  under  the  energetic  labors 
and  terrific  preaching  of  Mr.  McGready,  in  1799,  has  already 
been  described.*  Suffice  it,  therefore,  to  say  in  this  place,  that  so 
far  from  subsiding  like  a  meteor-flash,  it  grew  in  intensity  and 
strength,  and  spread  far  and  wide.  Camp-meetings,  of  which  the 
first  was  a{)pointed  by  Mr.  McGready  at  Gasper  river  Church, 
in  1800,  became  a  popular  movement,  and  were  repeated  in  Ten- 
nessee, the  then  North- Western  Territory,  and  the  Carolinas. 
They  were  accompanied  by  all  the  fervor,  noise  and  disorder 
which  an  amalgamation  with  the  Methodists  was  hkely  to  pro- 
duce. At  no  time,  however,  did  the  plan  receive  the  sanction  of 
more  than  five  of  the  ministers  in  this  region,  Messrs.  McGready, 

•  See  Chap.  V. 


224  THE    CUMBERLAND  PRESBYTERIAN   SCHISM. 

Hodge,  William  McGee,  Mc Adow,  and  John  Rankin.  The  other 
ministers  were  either  unfriendly  to  the  Revival  or  opposed  to  the 
mode  in  which  it  was  conducted.  Among  the  latter  Mr.  Craig- 
head and  Mr.  Balch  stood  prominent.* 

The  demand  for  preaching  soon  exceeded  the  ability  of  the  or- 
dained ministers  to  supply  it,  and  it  was  judged  expedient  to  have 
a  few  intelligent  and  zealous  laymen  selected,  and  licensed  as 
catechists  and  travelling  exhorters,  in  accordance  with  the  usage 
of  the  Presbytery  of  Transylvania,  from  its  origin,  as  has  been 
shown  at  large  in  a  preceding  chapter.  The  suggestion  is  said 
to  have  first  emanated  from  Mr.  Rice,  who  was  impressed,  while 
attending  a  sacramental  meeting  in  those  parts,  with  the  neces- 
sity of  some  such  measure. f  Accordingly,  at  a  meeting  of  Tran- 
sylvania Presbytery,  at  Muddy  river  Church,  October  9th,  1801, 
four  men,  Alexander  Anderson,  Finis  Ewing,  Samuel  King,  and 
Ephraim  McClain,  by  the  advice  of  the  revival  ministers,  ofiered 
themselves  to  the  Presbytery  for  the  service  of  the  Church- 
These  were  men  somewhat  advanced  in  life,  with  families,  desti- 
tute of  collegiate  education,  but  described  as  intelligent,  zealous, 
and  desirous  to  preach.  One  of  them,  Ewing,  was  an  elder. J  It 
was  not  till  after  warm  opposition,  and  protracted  discussion,  that 
permission  was  granted  them  to  read  privately  to  Mr.  Rice  the 
discourses  which  they  had  prepared  for  the  occasion  ;  but  on  his 
reporting  favorably,  the  Presbytery  agreed  to  appoint  said  men 
to  the  business  of  exhortation  and  catechizing  in  vacant  congre- 
gations, and  directed  them  to  prepare  discourses  on  subjects  as- 
signed.§ 


*  Smith's  Hist,  of  the  Cnmb.  Presb.  Church,  pp.  571,  580.  Mr.  Smith  was 
Stated  Clerk  of  the  C.  P.  Generiil  Assembly,  and  editor  of  the  C.  P.  newspaper. 
He  published  a  volume  of  Mr.  MrGready's  sermons,  with  a  biographical  sketch. 
The  C.  P.  newspaper  contained  al.-o  several  caustic  essays  from  his  pen  on  Dr. 
Cleland's  article  in  the  Biblical  Repertory,  1834,  to  which  Dr.  Clelaud  replied  in 
the  snme  paper. 

f  Sniitii,  jip.  580,  675.  The  same  information  was  communicated  to  the  au- 
thor by  Mr.  Stuart. 

J  Min.  Trans.  Pby.,  vol.  iii.  p.  64. 

(.  Min.  jrans.  Pby.,  vol.  iii.  p.  36.  Synod's  "Brief  History"  of  the  Cumber- 
land Frcsbytcrians,  written  by  Dr.  Cleland,  and  printed  by  Thomas  T.  Skillman, 
Lexington,  1823,  p.  4.  Smith,  p.  £82.  Mr.  Smith  vindicates  at  some  length  the 
courte  pursued,  on  the  ground  tl:rt  Eastern  men,  and  educated  missioi;-  ries, 
■wouid  1)6  formal,  dry,  unacquaindd  with  human  nature,  and  incapable  of  endur- 
ing irivation  and  fatigue.  But  now,  that  the  country  is  no  longer  frontier,  he 
applauds  the  Manual  I.abor  College  iit  Princeton,  Kentucky, as  combininglearn- 
ing  with  other  qualitications.     pp.  £83-685. 


THE    CUMBERLAND    PRESBYTERIAN    SCHISM.  225 

At  the  next  stated  meeting,  April  13,  1802,  at  Beaver  Creek 
Church,  in  Barren  county,  Anderson,  Ewing  and  King  read  the 
pieces  assigned  them,  and,  after  a  warm  debate,  Anderson  was 
directed  to  prepare  a  sermon  on  Luke  xiii.  24,  as  a  trial  specimen. 
This  was  carried  by  a  majority  of  only  one  vote.  By  the  same 
lean  majority  the  rest — Ewing,  King  and  McClain — were  not 
received  as  candidates  for  the  ministry,  but  were  permitted  to 
continue  as  catechists.*  It  is  also  worthy  of  note,  that  the  Rev, 
Jeremiah  Abel,  of  the  Republican  Methodist  Society,  applied  for 
admission  on  this  occasion,  and,  after  reference  to  a  committee, 
was  received.  Whether  he  consented  to  adopt  the  Confession  or 
not  is  not  stated. f 

The  next  stated  meeting  was  held  at  Spring  Hill,  October  5th. 
There  were  eight  ministers^  and  eight  elders  present,  all  from 
the  adjoining  region,  besides  seven  other  individuals  who  took 
their  seats  as  "Representatives"  of  their  respective  congrega- 
tions, having  produced  certificates  of  their  appointment  as  such. 
Whether  they  were  elders,  or  only  lay  commissioners,  we  have 
no  means  of  ascertaining. § 

The  lower  members  now  had  everything  under  their  own 
control.  With  the  exception  of  a  called  meeting  to  ordain  Mr. 
Robertson,  at  New  Providence,  they  had  not  permitted  a  single 
meeting  out  of  their  own  bounds  for  the  space  of  a  year ;  and  it 
was  with  a  view,  no  doubt,  to  the  maintenance  of  their  ascend- 
ency that  the  last  adjournment  had  been  made  to  a  spot  still 
farther  to  the  south-west.  The  great  body  of  the  Presbytery, 
being  so  far  removed  from  the  seat  of  operations,  found  it  ex- 
tremely inconvenient  to  attend.  |j 

*  Min.  Trans.  Pby,  vol.  iii.  pp.  49,  53.     Smith,  pp.  582,  675. 

f  Min.  Trans.  I'by.  vol.  iii.  p.  46.  At  this  meeting  the  Rev.  John  Bowman 
was  received  fromGreenville  Pby.  ;  John  Rankin,  a  licentiate  from  Orange  Pby., 
was  taken  under  their  care,  afterwards  ordained  over  Gasper  river  congregation, 
July  :i  Uh;  Joseph  Lapsley  was  received  as  a  candidate,  in  the  regular  way  ;  and 
John  Hodge  was  licensed  to  preach. 

I  Messrs.  Craighead,  Balch,  Horlge,  McGready,  McGee,  Donnell,  Rankin  and 
Bowman.     Min.  Trans.  Pby.  vol.  iii.  p.  55. 

5  Dr.  Cloland,  in  his  "  Brief  History,"  makes  no  remarks  upon  the  circum- 
stance, from  which  we  may  presume  that  they  were  regular  delegates.  Mr. 
Smith,  however,  seems  to  speak  of  them  as  a  distinct  class.  The  council  formed 
afterwards,  he  describes  as  "  consisting  of  the  ministers,  elders,  and  representa- 
tives from  vacancies,"  &.c.,  p.  614. 

II  Brief  Hist.  p.  5.  Min.  Trans.  Pby.  vol.  iii.  pp.  38,  43,  54,  55.  It  is  observ- 
able that  Mr.  Smith  is  silent  on  the  subject  of  the  places  which  the  Presbytery 
selected  for  meeting,  and  of  the  clashing  of  the  appointments  of  the  Presbytery 
and  the  Synod. 


226  THE    CUMBERLAND   PRESBYTERIAN    SCHISM. 

There  is  another  circumstance  to  be  taken  into  view,  and  not 
even  charity  can  vindicate  it,  except  on  the  score  of  an  ignorance 
itself  culpable.  The  day  to  which  they  had  adjourned  was  but 
about  a  week  previous  to  that  appointed  by  the  General  Assem- 
bly for  so  important  an  occasion  as  the  first  meeting  of  the  Synod 
of  Kentucky,  at  Lexington,  nearly  two  hundred  miles  distant. 
This  serves  both  to  explain  the  absence  of  all  the  members  from 
the  upper  counties,  whose  attendance  was  necessary  to  make  up 
a  constitutional  quorum  for  the  Synod,  and  also  to  explain  the 
apparent  tardiness  of  the  Synod  in  arresting  the  irregular  pro- 
ceedings of  which  we  are  about  to  speak.  The  distance  of  the 
points,  and  the  shortness  of  the  time,  precluded  all  communication. 
In  fact,  the  Synod  neither  had  an  opportunity  of  seeing  the  records 
nor  hearing  of  the  disorders  ;  and  it  was  in  total  ignorance  of  the 
necessity  of  interference  that  Synod,  at  this  meeting,  in  view  of 
the  manifest  convenience  of  the  measure,  divided  Transylvaain 
Presbytery,  and  constituted  out  of  the  lower  portion  a  new  Pres- 
bytery, by  the  name  of  Cumberland.* 

These  facts  should  be  carefully  noted,  because  it  has  been  pre- 
tended that  it  was  Transylvania  Presbytery  that  was  alone  an- 
swerable for  the  licensure  of  the  four  catechists,  the  measure 
having  been  adopted,  under  its  sanction,  by  a  large  majority,  be- 
fore the  Cumberland  Presbytery  had  a  being. f  This  must  be 
regarded  as  a  mere  verbal  quibble  and  disingenuous  subterfuge  : 
because  it  is  obvious  that  there  was  not  a  single  member  of  Tran- 
sylvania present,  except  those  very  individuals  who  soon  after- 
ward constituted  the  Presbytery  of  Cumberland ;  and  virtually, 
therefore,  they  alone  must  be  regarded  as  the  accountable  party. 

Several  petitions  being  offered  from  Rockbridge,  Sharon,  and 
other  societies,  importunately  praying  for  the  licensure  of  the  four 

*  This  was  done  "  upon  application;"  by  whom,  it  is  not  stated ;  probably  by 
the  upper  members.  The  new  Presbytery  was  to  embrace  "  the  members  lying 
on  the  south  side  of  a  line  drawn  along  Big  Barren  river  to  the  mouth,  and  from 
thence  to  the  mouth  of  Salt  river."  Mr.  Craighead  was  to  preach  the  opening 
sermon.     Min.  Syn.  vol.  i.  p.  3. 

At  this  meeting  the  Synod,  feeling  inadequate  to  supply  the  vast  frontier  be- 
yond with  missionaries,  called  the  attention  of  the  General  Assembly  to  the  sub- 
ject, as  the  proper  channel  whence  such  supplies  were  to  be  expected.  Min. 
Syn.  vol.  i.  p.  10.  The  Assembly  had  already,  at  their  meeting  in  May,  (1802,) 
appointed  a  Standing  Committee  on  Missions,  by  v^hcm  six  missionaries  weso 
sent  forth  the  first  year.     Digest,  p.  370. 

f  See  "  Reply  to  a  Pastoral  Letter  of  West.  Tennessee  Pby.,"  cited  in  the 
"  Brief  Hist.,"  p.  5.     Smith,  p.  600. 


THE    CUMBERLAND   PRESBYTERIAN    SCHISM.  227 

catechists — Anderson,  Ewing,  McClain  and  King — and  their 
labors  being  represented  as  highly  acceptable,  and  marked  with 
the  Divine  blessing,  the  Presbytery  proceeded  to  examine  them, 
with  a  view  to  that  object.  These  examinations  were  confined 
to  experimental  religion ;  the  evidences  of  their  call  to  the  minis- 
try ;  divinity  ;  and  the  delivery  by  each  of  a  discourse.  The 
languages  and  sciences  were  omitted.  They  expressed  their 
willingness  to  receive  and  adopt  the  Confession  of  Faith  of  the 
Church,  with  a  single  exception,  but  that  exception  was  very  sig- 
nificant. They  professed  to  believe  that  the  idea  of  Fatality  was 
there  taught,  under  the  high  and  mysterious  doctrines  of  Election 
and  Reprobation,  and  objected  accordingly.  The  Presbytery, 
notwithstanding,  by  the  large  vote  of  seventeen  to  five,  proceeded 
to  license  them,  with  the  exception  of  McClain.  Messrs.  Dicky 
and  Wilson  were  examined  and  licensed  at  the  same  time,  in  the 
ordinary  way.* 

From  this  act  of  the  majority  Craighead,  Donnell  and  Balch, 
with  the  two  elders,  Messrs.  Goodwin  and  Hannah,  entered  their 
dissent  on  the  Minutes,  as  related  to  Ewing  and  King;  because 
they  had  been  rejected  at  the  last  session  as  candidates  ;  because 
petitions  tending  to  bias  the  minds  of  the  members  ought  not  to 
have  been  received  ;  because  their  trials  were  altogether  insuffi- 
cient ;  because  they  were  destitute  of  classical  learning  ;  and 
because  they  discovered  no  such  extraordinary  talents  as  to  jus- 
tify the  measure.  It  is  remarkable  that  this  Dissent  breathes  not 
a  syllable  about  the  much  more  important  doctrinal  errors  which 
these  men  entertained,  as  exhibited  in  their  wresting  to  an  odious 
meaning  the  terms  of  the  Confession.  Could  it  be  that  it  was 
considered  as  a  harmless  misrepresentation,  or  was  the  silence 


*  The  record  in  the  case  of  the  three  irregular  licentiates  was  as  follows : 
"  Messrs.  Alexander  Anderson,  Finis  Ewing  and  Samuel  King  being  taken  un- 
der the  care  of  Presb.  at  our  last  fall  session  as  catechists,  and  then  licensed  to 
exhort  and  catechize  in  our  vacancies,  and  as  their  labors  were  attended  with  a 
Divine  blessing,  as  Presb.  have  reason  to  believe,  and  being  universally  accept- 
able to  our  vacancies — several  petitions  having  come  forward  fror.-.  many  of  our 
vacancies,  earnestly  and  importunately  praying  Presb.  to  license  them  to  preach 
the  Gospel — Presb.,  after  mature  deliberation,  considered  this  matter  as  coming 
under  the  view  of  that  e.\traordinary  exception  in  the  Book  of  Disciphne,  ex- 
amined them  on  their  experimental  acquaintance  with  religion,  the  evidences  of 
their  call  to  the  ministry,  and  examined  them  >ipon  their  knowledge  in  divinity — 
in  which  trials  Presb.  received  satisfaction,  and  licensed  them  to  preach  the  Gos- 
pel." Min.  Trans.  Presb.,  vol.  iii.  p.  60.  The  exception  to  the  Confession  of 
Faith  is  not  entered  on  the  Minutes,  but  is  mentioned  by  Smith,  p.  582. 


228  THE   CUMBERLAND   PRESBYTERIAN   SCHISM. 

to  be  ascribed  to  a  secret  sympathy  with  heresy,  ere  long  about 
to  avow  itself? 

The  Presbytery  completed  their  work  by  receiving  Ephraim 
McClain,  after  his  repeated  rejections,  as  a  candidate  for  the 
ministry,  and  licensing  three  more  exhorters :  Lawrence  Robi- 
son,  Robert  Bell  and  James  Farr.  James  Hawe,  a  Republican 
Methodist  preacher,  and  a  violent  denouncer  of  Presbyterian- 
ism,  both  from  the  pulpit  and  the  press,  applied  for^admission^ 
and  was  "cordially  received."*  There  is  no  evidence  of  his  ex- 
amination or  recantation,  to  say  nothing  of  the  irregularity  of  re- 
ceiving so  cordially  a  person  from  a  connection  not  in  corre- 
spondence with  the  Presbyterian  body.  We  shall  again  meet 
him  as  Moderator  of  the  Presbytery  of  Cumberland  before  the 
commission  of  Synod. 

Having  appointed  Saturday,  October  30th,  as  a  day  of  public 
thanksgiving  throughout  the  churches,  in  token  of  gratitude  to 
the  Supreme  Being  for  the  refreshing  season  vouchsafed,  and  for 
sending  out  laborers  into  the  vineyard,  the  Presbytery  adjourned. f 

Nothing  of  interest  occurred  till  the  5th  of  April,  1803,  when 
the  new  Cumberland  Presbytery  held  their  first  meeting,  at  the 
Ridge  Church,  Mr.  Craighead  presiding.  It  was  composed  of  the 
following  ten  ministers,  divided  into  two  parties,  equally  balanced,, 
viz :  James  McGready,  William  Hodge,  William  McGee,  John 
Rankin,  Samuel  McAdow,  known  as  the  Revival  Party ;  Thomas 
B.  Craighead,  Terah  Templin,  John  Bowman,  Samuel  Donnell, 
James  Balch,  called  the  Anti-Revival  party. 

These  parties  were  distinctly  marked,  and  held  no  intercourse 
with  each  other,  except  when  thrown  together  at  the  ecclesiasti- 
cal meetings.  Neither  party,  however,  was  strictly  homoge- 
neous. McGready  and  Hodge,  though  in  their  fiery  zeal  they 
trampled  on  order,  yet  professed  to  be  Calvinists ;  while  their 
associates,  Rankin,  McGee,  and  the  whole  troop  of  exhorters, 
were  as  decidedly  Arminian.  On  the  other  hand,  Craighead, 
though  a  man  of  brilliant  talents,  and  a  staunch  champion  for  dis- 
cipline and  order,  made  no  pretensions  to  rigid  orthodoxy,  and 
his  Pelagian  sentiments  were  no  secret.  Bowman,  although  he 
voted  on  the  orthodox  side,  was  accused  of  being  a  Stoneite ; 


*  Mill.  Trans.  Pby.,  vol.  iii.  p.  60.     Brief  Hist.  p.  6.. 
t  Min.  Trans.  Pby.,  vol.  iii.  p.  60. 


THE    CUMBERLAND   PRESBYTERIAN   SCHISM.  229 

and  was  afterwards,  indeed,  (April  5,  1810,)  suspended  by  the 
Presbytery  of  Transylvania,  for  refusing  to  appear  and  answer 
to  a  charge  of  heresy  and  schism.  As  for  Mc  Adow,  Templin  and 
Donnell,  they  were  neither  qualified  by  nature  or  education  to  be 
conspicuous  or  influential.* 

At  this  first  meeting  the  Cumberland  Presbytery  licensed  four 
additional  catechists.  Mr.  Anderson  was  directed  to  prepare 
for  ordination,  which  took  place  in  May  following  at  Shiloh.f 

The  majority  carried  out  their  plans  with  unabated  vigor,  and 
with  a  high  hand.  On  petitions  from  Spring  Creek,  McAdow, 
and  Clarksville  congregations,  they  proceeded  to  ordain  Finis 
Ewing  in  November.  The  minority,  though  there  is  no  record 
of  their  disapprobation  at  the  time,  afterwards,  (April  3,  1804,) 
objected  to  his  taking  his  seat  as  being  illegally  ordained ;  but 
they  were  overruled.^  Illiterate  exhorters,  with  Arminian  sen- 
timents were  multiplied,  till  they  soon  numbered  seventeen.^ 
They  were  directed  to  exercise  themselves  in  composition  on 
subjects  of  their  own  selection,  and  show  their  pieces  to  the 
nearest  minister  convenient.  Some  were  received  as  candi- 
dates on  delivering  a  single  discourse,  as  a  specimen  of  their 
abilities.  Of  none,  whether  licensed  or  ordained,  was  it  required 
to  adopt  the  Confession  of  Faith,  save  so  far  only  as  they  believed 
it  to  agree  with  the  word  of  God.  The  Exhorters,  burning  with 
zeal,  travelled  incessantly  through  the  vacant  congregations  upon 
their  "circuits,"  (a  device  borrowed  from  the  Methodists  two 
years  before,)  exhorting  without  the  formality  of  a  text.  The 
churches  were  directed  to  contribute  to  their  pecuniary  support. 
Their  labors  were  very  successful,  and  in  the  language  of  their 
apologists,  the  desert  blossomed  as  the  rose.  A  number  of 
"  Young  Societies"  were  organized,  and  furnished  with  elders  ; 
and  beyond  doubt, unless  this  process  had  being  speedily  checked, 
the  result  would  have  been  to  estabUsh  a  very  undesirable  as- 
cendency in  the  Synod.|| 

Through  the  agency  of  Mr.  Rice,  these  matters  were  brought 
to  the  notice  of  the  General  Assembly,  meeting  in  Philadelphia, 


*  Smith,  pp.  594.  597,  598,  636.     Lyle's  Missionary  Tour  in  the  bounds  of 
Cumberland  Pby.  (MSS.)  pp.  7,  54,  55. 

t  Smith,  p.  594.  J  Smith,  p.  595.  \  Min.  Syn.  vol.  i.  p.  71. 

II  Smith,  pp.  586,  620.     Brief  Hist.  pp.  7,  8. 


230  THE    CUMBERLAND   PRESBYTERIAN    SCHISxM. 

in  the  month  of  May.  Mr.  Rice  had  addressed  a  letter  to  that 
venerable  body,  by  direction  of  the  Presbytery  of  Transylvania, 
requesting  advice  and  direction  on  the  delicate  point  of  licensing 
men  to  preach  without  a  liberal  education.  Their  reply  was  in 
substance  as  follows  : 

A  liberal  education,  though  not  absolutely  essential,  has  been 
shown  to  be  highly  important  and  useful,  from  reason,  experience, 
and  the  prosperity  of  the  Presbyterian  and  New  England 
churches.  But  whatever  might  be  the  Assembly's  opinion,  the 
Standards  are  explicit  on  the  subject.  As  to  the  apprehension 
of  schism  in  consequence  of  rigid  views,  the  reply  must  be,  that 
the  path  of  duty  is  the  path  of  safety,  and  events  are  to  be  com- 
mitted to  God.  Parties  formed  under  such  circumstances  would 
neither  be  important  nor  permanent.  Notwithstanding,  when 
the  field  is  too  extensive,  catechists,  like  those  of  primitive  times 
may  be  found  useful  assistants.  But  great  caution  should  be 
used  in  selecting  prudent  and  sound  men,  lest  they  run  into  ex- 
travagance and  pride.  Their  duties  should  be  clearly  and  pre- 
cisely defined,  and  subject  to  frequent  inspection.  They  should 
not  be  considered  standing  officers  in  the  Church  ;  but,  if  pos- 
sessed of  uncommon  talents,  diligent  in  study,  and  promising 
usefulness,  they  might  in  time  purchase  to  themselves  a  good 
degree,  and  be  admitted  in  regular  course  to  the  holy  ministry.* 

Nothing  was  done  by  the  Synod  until  1804,  for  at  the  session 
of  1803  neither  delegates  nor  records  were  present  from  Cum- 
berland Presbytery. t  But  in  October,  1804, J  the  subject  was 
brought  up  by  a  written  remonstrance,  signed  by  Craighead, 
Donnell,  and  Bowman,  containing  a  protest  and  complaint 
against  the  doings  of  the  majority.  Synod  finding  it  impracti- 
cable to  issue  the  case  at  that  time,  cited  both  the  parties,  com- 
plained of  and  complaining,  to  appear  before  them  the  next  fall, 


*  See  copious  extracts  in  the  Assembly's  Digest,  pp.  148-151.  Mm.  Trans, 
Pby.,  vol.  ill.  p.  87. 

t  Brief  Hist.  p.  8. 

I  On  this  occasion,  though  the  minutes  were  not  forthcoming,  Messrs. 
McGready,  Donnell,  and  Ewing  were  present,  with  three  elders,  John  Dicky, 
Reuben  Ewing,  and  Young  Ewing.  Min.  Syn.,  vol.  i.  p.  42.  The  Presbytery 
of  Transylvania  seem  to  have  been  put  to  some  trouble  to  recover  possession  of 
their  records,  for  at  a  meeting,  October  G,  1803,  we  find  the  Stated  Clerk  ordered 
to  procure  them  from  the  Stated  Clerk  of  Cumberland  Presbytery,  in  time  for  the 
inspection  of  Synod.     Min.  Trans.  Pby.,  vol.  iii.  77. 


THE    CUMBERLAND   PRESBYTERIAN    SCHISM.  231 

and  enjoined  each  of  the  Presbyteries  to  pay  particular  attention 
to  the  rules  laid  down  in  the  Constitution,  and  to  the  Letter  of 
the  General  Assembly.  Meantime,  Messrs.  Rice,  Blythe,  Lyie, 
Cameron  and  Rannels  were  appointed  a  Committee  of  Inquiry, 
to  attend  the  earliest  meeting  of  the  Cumberland  Presbytery, 
and  report  the  result  of  their  observations.*  , 

None  of  the  Committee  attended  but  Mr.  Cameron,  and  he  re- 
fused to  sit  as  a  Corresponding  Member,  when  invited.  The 
young  men,  from  timidity,  shrank  from  reading  their  trial  pieces 
in  his  presence.  He  was  denounced  as  a  spy  ;  and  the  appoint- 
ment of  the  Committee  was  held  up  to  odium,  as  an  unprece- 
dented and  unwarrantable  stretch  of  power.f 

A  crisis  was  now  approaching.  The  Synod  met  at  Danville, 
October  15,  1805,  and  the  records  of  Cumberland  Presbytery 
being  at  last  forthcoming  after  so  long  delay,  the  whole  case 
came  up  by  ordinary  review  and  control.  Of  the  members  of 
the  Presbytery  only  two,  Messrs.  Donnell  and  Dicky,  were  pre- 
sent. The  majority  were  believed  to  have  absented  themselves 
on  the  ground  that  the  citation  by  Synod  was  precipitate  and 
illegal.  J 

The  book  was  put  into  the  hands  of  a  Committee,  consisting  of 
Cameron,  Lyle  and  James  Henderson,  for  examination.  They 
reported  the  records  to  be  extremely  defective,  discordant,  and 
obscure  ;  and  abounding  in  evidences  of  the  flagrant  violation  of 
the  Rules  of  Discipline.  They  noticed  the  reception  of  Hawe  the 
Methodist ;  the  hcensing  of  seventeen  men,  sometimes  called 
Regular  Exhorters,  sometimes  Licentiates  ;  the  establishment  of 
Circuits  ;  the  illegal  recommendation  of  contributions  by  the 
people  for  the  support  of  the  exhorters ;  the  licensing  of  illite- 
rate persons  with  approbation  ;  the  judgment  of  the  Presbytery 
in  the  division  of  Shiloh  congregation,  &c.§  This  report  was 
sufficient  to  convince  Synod  that  the  most  prompt  and  stringent 
measures  were  necessary.  Yet  they  felt  embarrassed.  For 
immediate  action  they  were  not  prepared.  They  had  before 
them  the  records,  and  the  minority's  Remonstrance  of  the  year 
previous,  besides  two  of  the  opposition  members  ;11  but  they  were 

*  Minutes  of  the  Synod  of  Ky.,  vol.  i.  p.  61.  f  Smith,  pp.  596,  597. 

t  Smith,  p.  599.  5  Min.  Syn.,  vol.  i.pp.  69-71. 

II  We  find  the  followinjT  minute  concerning  Mr.  Dicky  in  1801.  "  Whereas 
Mr.  Dicky,  [then  a  candidate,]  is  reported  to  have  ahsented  himself  from  the 


232  THE   CUMBERLAND   PRESBYTEllIAN   SCHISM. 

ignorant  of  the  whole  case,  and  there  was  no  one  present  to  act 
for  the  defence.  Of  the  degree  of  disquahfication  on  the  part  of 
the  hcentiates,  they  had  no  authoritative  information,  and  of  the 
adoption  of  the  Confession  with  reservations,  there  was  no  men- 
tion in  the  record.  The  Committee  of  Inquiry  had  failed  to 
discharge  their  duty,  and  Mr.  Cameron,  the  only  member  who 
attended,  declined  making  any  report.*  Something  must  be 
done.  Too  much  time  had  already  been  lost.  To  meet  next 
year  in  the  scene  of  difficulty,  and  postpone  action  till  then, 
would  be  losing  another  twelvemonth,  besides  incurring  the 
hazard  of  not  obtaining  a  constitutional  quorum,  in  consequence 
of  the  remoteness  of  the  northern  members.f 

In  view  therefore  of  the  urgency  of  the  case,  and  after  consi- 
derable deliberation,  the  Synod  appointed  a  Commission,  con- 
sisting of  ten  ministers  and  six  elders  ;  any  seven  ministers,  with 
as  many  elders  as  should  be  present,  to  form  a  quorum.  The 
members  of  the  Commission  were  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Lyle,  Camp- 
bell, Cameron,  Howe,  Rannels,  Stuart,  Joshua  L.  Wilson,  Robert 
Wilson,  Cleland,  and  Tull,  and  Messrs.  McDowell,  Brank,  Allen, 
Henderson,  Gaines,  and  Wallace,  ruling  elders.  Each  Commis- 
sioner pledged  himself  to  attend,  that  there  might  be  no  failure 
or  disappointment.  They  were  to  meet  in  six  weeks  from  that 
time,  at  Gasper  river  Meeting-House,  in  Logan  county ;  and 
citations  were  to  be  carefully  given  by  the  Stated  Clerk  to  all 
the  parties  concerned.  The  Commission  was  vested  with  full 
Synodical  powers  to  adjudicate  upon  the  proceedings  of  Cumber- 
land Presbytery,  which  had  been  brought  before  the  notice  of 
Synod.  The  tangled  affairs  of  Shiloh  congregation  were  also 
to  receive  a  portion  of  their  attention.  Mr.  Lyle  was  designated 
as  Moderator,  and  he  was  to  open  the  Commission  with  a  ser- 
mon. The  Synod  resolved  to  observe  the  day  specified  for  the 
meeting,  as  a  day  of  solemn  fasting  and   prayer   in  all   the 


communion  of  the  Church,  and  opposed  the  revival  of  religion  in  many  instances, 
the  Presbytery  recommend  it  to  said  Dicky  henceforth  to  return  to  Chris- 
tian communion,  and  endeavor  to  promote  vital  religion ;  and  in  order  to  this, 
always  endeavor  to  direct  either  real,  blind,  or  false  zeal  from  every  other  object 
to  the  faith  of  Christ."     Min.  Trans.  Pby.,  vol.  iii.  p.  37. 

*  Their  reasons  for  absence  appear  to  have  been  sustained.  Min.  Syn.,  vol. 
i.,  p.  73. 

t  Brief  Hist.,  p.  9. 


THE   CUMBERLAND   PRESBYTERIAN   SCHISM.  233 

churches,  for  the  divine  blessing  on  the  efforts  of  the  Commis- 
sion.*    The  entire  minute  is  as  follows  : 

"  On  motion,  Resolved,  that  the  business  of  the  Cumberland 
Presbytery  be  again  taken  up.  After  considerable  deliberation, 
it  was  resolved,  that  the  Rev.  John  Lyle,  John  P.  Campbell, 
Archibald  Cameron,  Joseph  P.  Howe,  Samuel  Rannels,  Robert 
Stuart,  Joshua  L.  Wilson,  Robert  Wilson,  Thomas  Cleland,  and 
Isaac  Tull,  together  with  Messrs.  William  McDowell,  Robert 
Brank,  James  Allen,  James  Henderson,  Richard  Gaines,  and 
Andrew  Wallace,  ruling  elders,  or  any  seven  ministers  of 
them,  with  as  many  elders  as  may  be  present,  be  a  Com- 
mission, vested  with  full  Synodical  powers,  to  confer  with 
the  members  of  Cumberland  Presbytery,  and  adjudicate  on 
their  Presbyterial  proceedings,  which  appear  upon  the  minutes  of 
said  Presbytery,  for  the  purpose  aforesaid,  and  taken  notice  of 
by  the  Committee  appointed  by  Synod  to  examine  said  minutes ; 
that  the  said  Commission  meet  on  the  first  Tuesday  in  Decem- 
ber next,  at  Gasper  Meeting-House,  Logan  county,  in  the  bounds 
of  said  Presbytery,  for  the  purpose  aforesaid.  That  notice  be 
given  to  the  members  of  said  Presbytery,  by  the  Stated  Clerk  of 
Synod,  to  attend  on  the  day  and  at  the  place  aforesaid,  so  that  a 
full,  fair  and  friendly  investigation  may  take  place.  That  the  said 
Commission  take  into  consideration  and  decide  upon  a  letter 
from  the  Rev.  Thomas  B.  Craighead  and  others,  and  an  appeal 
from  the  judgment  of  said  Presbytery,  by  certain  members  of 
Shiloh  congregation,  and  that  the  Stated  Clerk  of  Synod  furnish 
the  Commission  aforesaid  with  the  papers  and  documents  relative 
to  the  whole  of  the  aforesaid  proceedings. 

The  Stated  Clerk  of  Synod,  together  with  Messrs,  Lyle, 
Donald  and  Dicky  were  individually  directed  to  use  all  neces- 
sary exertions  in  citing  the  members  of  Cumberland  Presbytery 
to  attend  the  above-mentioned  meeting  of  the  Commission  of 
Synod,  and  especially  that  written  citations  be  sent  by  the  Stated 

*  At  this  meeting  two  important  measures  were  adopted.  The  first  was,  that 
each  Presbytery  should  seek  out  some  indigent  pious  young  man,  of  proaiisinor 
talents,  in  their  bounds,  to  be  educated  for  the  ministry.  The  other,  wi=!  an 
order  for  an  annual  Missionary  Sermon.  The  first  sermon  was  preach-d  by 
Mr.  Rice  the  following  year,  (October  25,  1806.)  from  Prov.  iii.  6.  ^SS  were 
collected,  and  forwarded  by  Dr.  Andrew  McCalla,  the  Treasurer,  to  the  Com- 
mittee of  Missions  of  the  General  Assembly.    Min.  Syn.,  vol.  i.  pp.  76,  122. 


234  '-THE    CUMBERLAND   PllESBYTERlAN    SCHISM. 

Clerk  of  Synod  to  the  Moderator  of  said  Presbytery,  and  to  the 
Rev.  James  McGready,"* 

On  Tuesday,  the  third  of  December,  1805,  the  Commission  of 
Synod  assembled  at  Gasper  Meeting-House.  Mr.  Lylef  preach- 
ed the  opening  sermon,  on  the  call  and  qualifications  necessary 
to  the  Gospel  ministry,  from  the  text,  "  And  no  man  taketh  this 
honor  unto  himself,  but  he  that  is  called  of  God,  as  was  Aaron." 
— Hebr.  v.  4.  The  sermon  was  three  hours  long,J  but  the  audi- 
ence were  very  attentive.  Some  appeared  to  be  pleased  and 
edified  ;  others,  belonging  to  the  Cumberland  Presbytery,  were 
dissatisfied  and  uneasy.  After  sermon  the  Commission  was 
organized.  All  were  present  except  Messrs.  Campbell,  Robert 
Wilson,  and  Henderson.  So  there  was  a  quorum.  The  Rev. 
Joseph  P.  Howe  was  chosen  Moderator,  and  Joshua  L.  Wilson 
and  Mr.  Allen,  Clerks.§ 

Upon  inquiry,  it  was  ascertained  that  the  citations  had  been 
duly  served. II  All  the  members  of  Cumberland  Presbytery 
implicated  were  present  to  answer,  viz :  McGready,  Hodge, 
McGee,  Rankin,  McAdow,  Hawe,  Finis  Ewing,  King,  Nelson, 
and  Samuel  Hodge,  the  last  four  having  been  ordained  by  the 
Presbytery  ;  together  with  Hugh  Kirkpatrick,  James  B.  Porter, 
Robert  Bell,  David  Foster,  and  Thomas  Calhoun,  licentiates ; 
and  Robert  Guthrie,  Samuel  K.  Blythe,  and  Samuel  Donnell, 
candidates.*!! 

The  Commissioners  soon  felt  that  they  had  to  contend  with 
the  most  violent  prejudices  and  misrepresentations.  They  were 
denounced  as  a  species  of  inquisition,  whose  odious  errand  it  was 


*  Min.  Syn.  vol.  i.  pp.  78,  79.     Bishop's  Rice,  p.  120. 

t  The  Rev.  John  P.  Campbell  having  declined  an  appointment  to  ride  on  a 
missionary  tour  for  two  months,  in  the  bounds  of  Cumberland  Presbytery,  the 
Synod  unanimously  appointed  Mr.  Lyle.  He  promptly  started,  having  obtained 
leave  of  absence,  and  set  out  from  Danville  on  Friday,  Oct.  18,  in  the  evening. 
He  drew  up  a  succinct  Narrative  of  his  missionary  tour,  for  the  inspection  of 
the  Assembly's  Committee  of  Missions,  to  whom  he  was  made  responsible,  to 
which,  like  his  Diary,  often  before  cited,  the  author  is  much  indebted. 

J  Mr.  Lyle  preaclied  also  on  the  ensuing  Sabbath,  on  the  Divine  purpose,  (2 
Tim.  i.  9,)  and  the  sermon  was  again  tiiree  hours  long.  "  I  spoke  longer  than 
usual,"  he  writes,  "  because  the  circumstances  seemed  to  demand  it."  The 
people  appeared  generally  pleased,  and  some  edified.  Lyle's  Tour,  p.  59.  Mr. 
Lyle's  habitual  limits  were  far  beyond  those  set  by  the  fastidious  weariness  of 
this  degenerate  age,  to  whom  Dr.  Nisbet's  sarcastic  remark  is  very  applicable, 
that  "  a  lang  sermon  is  a  great  affliction  to  the  ungodly." 

§  Min.  Syn.  vol.  i.  82.  (Report  of  the  Comm.)     Lyle's  Tour,  p.  67. 

II  Min.  Syn.  vol.  i.  p.  82.  H  Smith,  p.  605. 


THE    CUMRERLAND    PRESBYTERIAN    SCHISM.  235 

to  Stop  the  revival,  and  cut  off  all  the  young  preachers  and  cir- 
cuit-riders because  they  were  unacquainted  with  Latin  and 
Greek.  The  force  of  ridicule,  as  well  as  of  malice,  was  brou<^ht 
to  bear  upon  them,  and  the  respective  members  were  designated 
by  opprobrious  nicknames.  The  whole  community  were  exas- 
perated. There  was  but  a  single  man  in  the  entire  neighbor- 
hood, (and  he  lived  three  or  four  miles  from  the  Church,)  who 
was  willing  to  open  his  house  and  extend  common  hospitality  to 
the  members.  The  name  of  this  worthy  individual  deserves  to 
be  commemorated.  It  was  James  Reid.  At  this  house  the 
whole  Commission  lodged,  having  to  travel  the  above  distance 
every  morning  and  evening,  without  eating  in  the  interim.  That 
nothing  might  be  left  undone  to  stimulate  the  passions  of  the 
people,  Mr.  Rankin,  the  pastor  of  the  Church,  himself  an  avowed 
Arminian,  and  afterwards  a  Shaker,  delivered  an  inflammatory 
address  to  the  assembled  multitude,  well  calculated  to  provoke 
mobbing  and  personal  violence.  This  was  done  one  evening 
after  adjournment,  in  the  presence  of  the  Commission. 

To  complete  the  turmoil,  the  Shakers,  who  had  a  village  in 
the  vicinity,  were  on  the  ground  in  full  strength,  with  Houston 
the  apostate,  who,  however,  had  shame  enough  left  to  shun  his 
former  brethren  and  associates.  They  anticipated  a  great  com- 
motion and  schism,  and  hoped  to  cast  their  net  successfully  in 
the  troubled  waters. 

Notwithstanding  an  array  of  circumstances  so  well  adapted  to 
harrass  if  not  to  intimidate,  the  Commissioners,  with  unshaken 
intrepidity,  calmly  proceeded  in  the  discharge  of  their  difficult 
duty.* 

On  the  second  day  the  warrant  of  the  Commission  was  read, 
and  its  object  explained  ;  after  which  the  Commission  united 
with  the  members  of  Cumberland  Presbytery,  and  a  large  assem- 
bly of  people,  in  solemn  prayer  for  the  Divine  blessing.  The 
first  case  taken  up  was  that  of  Mr.  James  Hawe,  who  had  been 
received  from  the  Methodist  connection  without  renouncing  his 


*MSS.  notes  of  Mr.  Stuart's  conversations.  Brief  Hist.  p.  12.  Bishop's 
Rice,  p.  1'21.  It  is  ob.scrvable  that  Mr.  Smith  maintains  a  profound  silence  as 
to  the  above  particulars.  From  Mr.  Lylc  we  learn  that  a  Circular  Letter  of  the 
Synod,  and  other  pamphlets  which  were  for  sale,  were  collected  by  some  of  Mr. 
Hodge's  people,  and  publicly  burnt,  with  Mr.  Hodge's  approbation.  Lyle'a 
Tour,  p.  21. 


236  THE    CUMBERLAND    PRESBYTERIAN    SCHISJM. 

former  tenets.  The  Commission  were  unanimously  of  opinion 
that  the  Presbytery  had  acted  illegally  in  admitting  Mr.  Hawe, 
without  first  examining  him  in  divinity,  and  requiring  him  to 
adopt  the  Confession  of  Faith,  and  they  resolved  to  inquire  into 
his  doctrinal  views.*  It  was  not  until  the  fifth  day  that  an 
opportunity  offered  for  doing  so,  when  Mr.  Hawe  being  called 
on,  prudently  refused  to  submit  to  an  examination,  on  the  plea 
that  he  was  already  admitted  and  beyond  reach,  except  by  a 
regular  process  for  heresy.f 

Thursday,  Friday,  and  Saturday,  were  devoted  to  the  Irregu- 
lar Licensures  and  Ordinations.  Of  these  cases  there  were  no 
fewer  than  twenty-seven."j:  From  an^examination  of  the  records 
and  the  dissent  of  the  minority,  and  from  a  conference  with  the 
members  of  the  Presbytery,  it  was  clearly  ascertained  that  these 
individuals,  contrary  to  the  rules  of  the  Church,  had  been  per- 
mitted to  adopt  the  Confession  with  the  reservation  "  as  far  as 
they  deemed  it  agreeable  to  the  word  of  God  ;"  a  method  which 
effectually  precluded  all  definite  knowledge  of  their  real  opinions. 
The  Presbytery  plead  in  justification,  that  the  Confession  was  of 
human  composition,  and  fallible,  and  that  they  could  not  in  con- 
science feel  bound  by  it  any  farther  than  it  corresponded  with 
Scripture.  What  aggravated  their  offence  was  the  avowal  that 
though  they  themselves  had  subscribed  the  Confession,  they  did 
not  believe  all  its  contents,  and  so  could  not  consistently  require 
its  unreserved  adoption  by  others.  As  to  the  dispensing  with 
literary  qualifications,  they  asserted  that  the  young  men  possess- 
ed extraordinary  talents,  and  so  came  within  the  exception  of 
the  14th  chapter  of  the  Form  of  Government.     They  further 


*  Mr.  Smith  intimates,  p.  605,  that  this  was  an  outrage  upon  justice,  because 
they  had  not  the  minutes  before  them.  But  in  the  Remonstrance  of  the  Coun- 
cil to  the  General  Assembly,  in  1807,  it  is  admitted  that  the  minutes  were  pro- 
duced in  evidence,  p.  621.  This  the  Synod  also  asserted  in  their  defence  to 
the  General  Assembly,  written  in  1807.  Min.  Syn.  vol.  i.  p.  161.  He  charges 
Hawe's  admission  on  Transylvania  Presbytery  as  their  act.  But  Mr.  Hawe, 
though  admitted  on  application  by  Transylvania  Presbytery,  did  not  take  his 
seat  till  the  first  meeting  of  Cumberland  Presbytery,  after  the  division,  as  appears 
from  the  minutes  of  Cumberland  Presbytery,  p.  600.  Then  was  the  appropriate 
time  to  have  examined  him  personally. 

f  Min.  Syn.  vol.  i.  pp.  84,  91. 

jOne  of  these  "  young  men,"  (as  all  unite  to  call  them,)  had  hanged  himself; 
two  had  embraced  the  sentiments  of  Mr.  Stone ;  and  the  rest,  the  Commission 
had  reason  to  suspect,  from  common  fame  and  personal  conversation,  were 
nearly  all  Arrainians  in  doctrine,  and  Enthusiasts  in  practice.     Lyle's  Tour,  p.  61 . 


THE    CUMBERLAND   PRESBYTERIAN   SCHISM.  237 

pleaded  a  number  of  precedents ;  such  as  the  case  of  Mr.  Beck, 
received  by  a  Presbytery  in  North  CaroHna ;  Mr.  Bloodworth, 
by  Orange ;  Mr.  Moore,  by  Hanover ;  Mr.  Marquis,  by  Red- 
stone; Messrs,  Kemper  and  Abell,  (a  Methodist,)  by  Transyl- 
vania. They  likewise  cited  the  case  of  a  poor  illiterate  man  in 
Pennsylvania,  many  years  ago,  who  was  not  sufficiently  acquaint- 
ed with  the  English  language  to  be  examined  in  it ;  whereupon 
the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  had  him  examined  in  his  own 
language  by  Mr.  Davis,  himself  likewise  a  native  of  Wales, 
(whom,  by  an  unfortunate  anachronism,  they  confounded  with 
President  Davies  of  Virginia,  a  native  of  Delaware,)  and  Mr. 
Davis  declared  that  he  never  had  assisted  in  bringing  a  man  into 
the  ministry  with  greater  freedom  in  his  life.*  The  Committee 
thereupon  resolved  to  institute  an  examination  themselves,  in 
order  to  judge  of  the  young  men's  qualifications. f 

The  majority  now  interposed,  disclaiming  the  jurisdiction  and 
authority  of  the  Synod  or  its  Commission  in  the  premises,  on  the 
ground  that  the  Presbytery  possessed  the  exclusive  right  to 
examine  and  license  their  own  candidates. J  "  I  stand  between 
these  young  men  and  your  bar,"  said  Mr.  Hodge.§  Several 
members  of  the  Commission  addressed  them,  and  earnestly  urged 
them  to  yield.  The  Moderator,  Mr.  Howe,  solemnly  adjured 
both  the  majority  and  the  young  men  to  submit,  pledging  his 
word  that  all  who  would  be  found  upon  examination  to  be  pre- 
pared, should  readily  obtain  a  regular  license.  Each  party  re- 
quested leave  to  retire  into  the  adjoining  grove  for  consultation 


*  Smith,  p.  678.  This  is  gravely  narrated  in  the  Circular  issued  in  1810,  the 
blunders  of  which  are  amusing.  The  last  case  cited  is  that  of  David  Evans,  a 
layman  who  undertook  to  preach  without  any  authority  in  the  Welsh  Tract, 
Chester  county ;  but  the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  censured  him  for  his 
irregularity,  and  directed  him  to  give  up  secular  business  and  devote  himself  to 
Study  for  a  twelvemonth,  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Andrews.  The  I'orce  of 
the  precedent,  fairly  stated,  turns  altogether  against  those  who  brought  it  for- 
ward.    See  Records  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  vol.  i.  p.  16. 

f  Min.  Syn.  vol.  i.  pp.  85-87,  153.     Bishop's  Rice,  p.  122. 

j  The  majority,  Mr.  Smith  who  defends  them,  (p.  607,)  and  the  General 
Assembly,  who  in  their  letter  to  the  Synod  in  1807,  regarded  this  measure  as 
"  at  least  of  questionable  regularity,"  seem  all  to  have  forgotten  the  power  with 
which  the  Constitution  clothes  a  Synod ;  "  to  redress  whatever  has  been  done 
by  Presbyteries  contrary  to  order;  to  take  eflectual  care  that  Presbyteries 
observe  the  Constitution  of  the  Church,"  &-c.  Form  of  (Jov.  ch.  xi.  §  4.  It  is 
true,  the  A.=?sembly,  after  fuller  information,  retracted  this  implied  censure,  and 
highly  applauded  the  Synod  for  the  course  taken.     Digest,  pp.  137,  140. 

§  Lyle  s  Tour,  p.  62. 

16 


k 


238  THE  CUMBERLAND   PRESBYTERIAN   SCHISM. 

and  prayer.*  Finis  Ewing  was  the  spokesman  of  the  young 
men,  of  whom  there  were  eleven  present.  Some  of  the  Com- 
mission objected  to  the  withdrawal,  but  finally  it  was  agreed  to.f 

As  they  were  about  to  retire,  iVIr.  Stuart  rose  under  the  im- 
pulse of  the  moment,  and  entreated  them  to  think  seriously  of 
the  consequences  of  their  decision  upon  their  temporal  and 
eternal  interests.  Under  his  earnest  and  pathetic  appeal,  the 
audience,  the  Commission,  and  the  young  men,  all  melted  into 
tears.  Indeed,  this  little  circumstance,  with  the  prudent  and 
forbearing  deportment  of  the  Commission,  made  a  very  favora- 
ble impression  on  the  people,  and  disarmed  them  to  some  extent 
of  their  prejudices.  J  During  the  absence  of  the  parties  above- 
mentioned,  the  Commission  with  the  Assembly  united  in  prayer. 
It  was  felt  to  be  a  solemn  moment. § 

On  the  return  of  Messrs.  McGready,  Hodge,  McGee,  Rankin, 
and  McAdow,  they  collectively  and  individually  answered  the 
question,  "  Do  you  submit  ?"  in  the  negative. 

The  Moderator  then  turned  to  the  young  men,  and  solemnly 
adjured  them  to  submit.  Being  called  on  individually,  they  each 
refused  to  do  so  ;  affirming  their  persuasion  that  the  Cumberland 
Presbytery  was  a  regular  church  judicatory,  and  competent  to 
judge  of  the  faith  and  abilities  of  its  candidates.  They  maintain- 
ed that  they  were  neither  charged  with  heresy  nor  immorality, 
and  if  they  were,  the  Presbytery  was  the  proper  tribunal  to 
which  they  were  amenable.|| 

The  intervening  Sabbath  was  spent  in  religious  exercises. 
On  Monday  the  Commission  rendered  their  decision.  The 
recusants,  twenty-four  in  number,  together  with  James  Hawe, 
having  by  their  contumacy  virtually  renounced  the  jurisdiction 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  were  solemnly  prohibited,  until  sub- 


*  Min.  Syn.  vol.  i.  p.  89.     Notes  of  Stuart's  Conv. 

t  Smith,  p.  608. 

i  Notes  of  Stuart's  Conv.  Whatever  good  effects  w^ere  produced  however, 
Mr.  Rankin's  inflammatory  address  that  evening  must  have  neutralized  them. 

5  Min.  Syn.  vol.  i.  p.  89. 

II  Min.  Syn.  vol.  i.  pp.  90,  91.  Smith,  p.  608.  The  apologist,  in  his  eager- 
ness to  place  everything  in  the  fairest  liglit,  would  have  his  reader  notice  that 
these  yo>ing  men,  during  their  absence,  had  neither  held  a  consultation,  nor 
agreed  on  any  common  plan  of  action ;  of  course  their  unanimity  is  to  be  as- 
cribed to  a  semi-inspiration  in  answer  to  their  prayers.  The  wildest  enthusiast 
may  justify  himself  in  the  same  way.  We  have  no  promise  of  guidance  when 
we  presumptuously  leave  the  path  of  duty. 


THE    CUMBERLAND   PRESBYTERIAN   SCHISM.  239 

mission,  from  preaching  or  administering  ordinances,  in  conse- 
quence of  any  authority  derived  from  the  Cumberland  Presby- 
tery. 

As  for  Messrs.  McGready,  Hodge,  McGee,  Rankin,  and 
McAdow,  the  Commission  waived  their  right  to  deal  with  them 
for  their  contumacy,  and  remanded  them  to  the  Synod,  at  whose 
next  meeting  they  were  cited  to  appear  ;  the  last  four  especially 
to  answer  to  charges  of  holding  and  propagating  errors  in  doc- 
trine, of  which  they  were  accused  by  common  fame. 

The  entire  decision  is  as  follows  : 

"  Whereas,  the  Commission  of  Synod  have,  in  a  friendly  man- 
ner, conferred  with  the  Cumberland  Presbytery,  and  have 
examined  into  the  proceedings  of  said  Presbytery  in  licensing 
men  to  exhort  and  to  preach  the  Gospel,  and  in  ordainino-  some 
to  administer  ordinances,  and  have  found  that  those  proceedino-g 
were  very  irregular ;  and  whereas,  when  those  men  irregularly 
licensed,  &c.,  were  called  upon  to  come  forward  to  be  exam- 
ined by  the  Commission,  Messrs.  William  Hodge,  James 
McGready,  William  McGee,  John  Rankin,  and  Samuel  McAdow 
interposed  to  prevent  the  examination ;  and  also  that  the  Mode- 
rator called  upon  the  following  persons,  viz :  Robert  Gutherie 
Samuel  Hodge,  James  Porter,  David  Foster,  Finis  Ewing,  Huo-h 
Kirkpatrick,  Thomas  Nelson,  Thomas  Calhoon,  Samuel  Donnell, 
junior,  Samuel  King,  Samuel  Blythe,  and  Robert  Bell,  to  come 
forward  and  stand  an  examination  as  to  their  qualifications  for 
the  Gospel  ministry,  they  refused  to  comply,  thereby  virtually 
renouncing  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  ;  and  it 
being  proclaimed  by  common  fame  that  the  majority  of  these 
men  are  not  only  illiterate,  but  erroneous  in  sentiment,  Resolved 
that  as  the  above-named  persons  never  had  regular  authority 
from  the  Presbytery  of  Cumberland  to  preach  the  Gospel,  (fee, 
the  Commission  of  Synod  prohibit,  and  they  do  hereby  solemnly 
prohibit,  the  said  persons  from  exhorting,  preaching,  and  admin- 
istering ordinances  in  consequence  of  any  authority  which  they 
have  obtained  from  the  Cumberland  Presbytery,  until  they  sub- 
mit to  our  jurisdiction,  and  undergo  the  requisite  examination. 
And  it  is  farther  Resolved,  that  the  following  persons,  viz:  James 
Farr,  Lawrence  Rollison,  Robert  Houston,  James  Crawford, 
Reuben  Dooley,  Robert  Wilson,  James  Duggins,  Michael  Find- 


240  THE    CUMBERLAND   PRESBYTERIAN   SCHISM. 

ley,  Ephraim  McClain,  John  Hodge,  Alexander  Chapman, 
William  McClure,  Stephen  Clinton,  and  William  Moore,  who 
are  now  absent,  together  with  James  Hawe,  be  laid  under  the 
same  prohibition. 

"  Although  we  conceive  the  Commission  have  Synodical 
power  to  adjudicate  upon  the  conduct  of  the  Rev.  James 
McGready,  William  Hodge,  William  McGee,  John  Rankin,  and 
Samuel  Mc  Adow,  in  not  submitting  to  the  examination  of  those 
men  who  had  been  irregularly  licensed  and  ordained,  when 
solemnly  adjured  by  the  Moderator  agreeably  to  the  resolution 
of  the  Commission,  yet  we  decline  pronouncing  sentence,  and 
remand  said  persons  to  the  Synod  of  Kentucky  ;  and  they  are 
hereby  cited  to  appear  at  our  next  Annual  Session  to  be  held  in 
the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Lexington,  on  the  third  Tuesday  of 
October  next,  to  account  for  said  conduct. 

"  And  whereas,  common  fame  loudly  proclaims  that  the  Rev. 
Messrs.  William  Hodge,  William  McGee,  and  John  Rankin, 
hold  and  propagate  doctrines  contrary  to  those  contained  in  the 
Confession  of  Faith  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  Resolved,  that 
they  be  and  they  are  hereby  cited  to  appear  before  the  Synod  of 
Kentucky  at  their  next  session,  there  to  answer  to  the  above 
charge. 

"  And  the  Cumberland  Presbytery  are  hereby  most  solemnly 
charged  to  perform  their  Presbyterial  business  in  an  orderly 
manner,  and  that  they  be  more  accurate  in  keeping  their  records 
in  future. 

"  Whereas,  it  appears  to  the  Commission  that  Thomas  Nelson 
has  been  irregularly  ordained  as  the  Pastor  of  Mount  Zion  and 
Carmel,  and  whereas  the  said  Nelson  is  now  prohibited  from 
preaching  under  any  authority  derived  from  the  Presbyterian 
Church ;  on  motion  Resolved,  that  the  said  congregations  be, 
and  they  are  hereby,  declared  vacant,  and  that  Messrs.  Came- 
ron and  Joshua  L.  Wilson  preach  at  Mount  Carmel  and  Mount 
Zion  as  early  as  possible  after  the  rising  of  this  Commission,  and 
read  to  them  this  resolution."     Min.  Syn.  vol,  i.  pp.  92,  95. 

Messrs.  Hodge,  Rankin,  and  McGee,  handed  in  a  written 
refusal  to  obey  the  citation,  on  the  ground  of  its  unconstitution- 
ality. Their  objections  were  probably  based  on  the  charge  of 
heresy  being  unaccomj^anied  with  specifications ;  and  the  assumed 


THE    CUMBERLAND   PRESBYTERIAN   SCHISM.  241 

competency  of  the  Presbytery  to  try  its  own  members.  The 
Commission  reconsidered  their  citation,  and  reaffirmed  it.  There 
existed,  according  to  their  showing,  an  imperious  necessity  for 
taking  the  case  out  of  the  hands  of  the  Presbytery  to  the  higher 
court,  inasmuch  as  there  would  not  be  left  a  sufficient  number 
of  disinterested  members  to  adjudicate.  To  obviate  the  objec- 
tion of  a  general  charge,  they  specified  certain  errors  held  by 
the  three  recusants  aforesaid  ;  viz :  the  denial  of  the  doctrine  of 
Election,  and  the  holding  that  there  is  a  certain  sufficiency  of 
grace  given  to  every  man,  which  if  he  will  improve,  he  shall 
obtain  more,  until  he  arrive  at  true  conversion ;  which  grace 
they  variously  expressed  as  a  talent,  or  a  power  to  accept  the 
offer  of  salvation  from  a  spark  of  grace  given  to  every  man  in 
his  natural  state ;  and  by  like  phrases.* 

Tuesday,  the  seventh  day  of  the  Session,  was  occupied  with 
the  Shiloh  appeal.  The  pastor,  Mr.  Hodge,  was  one  of  the 
Revival  preachers,  and  his  measures  gave  such  offence  to  a 
portion  of  the  congregation,  that  they  took  possession  of  the 
church  edifice  and  closed  it  against  him.f  The  matter  was 
brought  before  the  Presbytery,  and  decided  in  Mr.  Hodge's 
favor.  The  malcontents  then  seceded,  and  formed  a  separate 
society,  to  which  they  gave  the  name  of  "  The  Orderly  part  of 
Shiloh  Congregation ;"  and  called  the  Rev.  Thomas  B.  Craig- 
head to  be  their  pastor.  The  Presbytery  refused  to  sanction  the 
division,  on  the  alleged  ground  that,  the  church  property  being 
implicated,  the  affair  was  cognizable  in  a  civil  court  only.  This 
does  not  seem  clear ;  but  as  far  as  the  Commission  w^ere  con- 
cerned, they  avoided  the  civil  question,  and  reversed  the  judg- 
ment of  the  Presbytery,  permitting  the  Appellants  to  congregate 
under  any  other  name  than  Shiloh.J 

The  Commission  then  took  up  the  case  of  Mr.  Craighead, 

*Min.  Syn.vol.  i.  pp.  97,  98. 

f  Tliat  he  should  liave  given  great  oftencc  is  not  surprising,  if  many  of  his 
proceedings  were  like  that  recorded  by  Mr.  Lyle.  It  was  with  his  warm  ap- 
probation that  the  Synod's  Circular  and  other  pamphlets  were  publicly  burnt 
by  some  of  his  people.     Lyle's  Tour,  p.  21. 

I  Min.  Syn.  vol.  i.  p.  96.  Smith,  p.  667.  From  the  minutes  of  the  Presby- 
tery it  would  seem  that  the  Presbytery  refused  their  petition,  because  they  had 
seceded  from  their  brethren  for  couimuning  with  such  as  held  Arminian  prin- 
ciples ;  because  they  were  believed  to  oppose  and  condemn  the  revival ;  and 
because  their  representatives  had,  in  1804,  declared  themselves  not  in  commu- 
nion with  the  Presbytery.  Minutes  of  Cumb.  Pby,  filed  among  the  papers  of 
Transylvania  Pby.  p.  21. 


242  THE   CUMBERLAND   PRESBYTERIAN   SCHISM. 

charged  by  common  fame  as  denying  the  doctrines  of  Election, 
and  the  special  operations  of  the  Spirit  of  God  in  conversion. 
He  was  examined  on  these  points,  the  questions  and  answers 
being  in  writing,  and  his  answers  were  pronounced  agreeable  to 
the  Confession,  a  few  ambiguous  and  unsatisfactory  expressions 
excepted.*  But,  that  we  may  preserve  the  unity  of  the  subject 
unbroken,  the  details  are  reserved  for  a  subsequent  chapter. 

The  Commission  of  Synod  finally  adjourned  on  Wednesday, 
the  11th  of  December,  after  a  weary  session  of  eight  days,  the 
intervening  Sabbath  not  included.  Messrs.  Cameron,  Lyle,  and 
Stuart,  were  appointed  a  committee  to  superintend  the  publica- 
tion of  their  report. f 

Thus  terminated  one  of  the  most  interesting  and  important 
convocations  ever  known  in  the  American  Church  ;  without 
precedent,  and,  thus  far,  without  imitation.  It  appears  to  have 
been  conducted  with  admirable  dignity,  prudence  and  modera- 
tion ;  and  beyond  doubt  served  to  check  for  a  while  the  lawless 
and  insubordinate  spirit  that  was  then  rife  in  the  West,  and 
which  at  length  broke  forth  in  an  extensive  schism,  fomented 
and  directed  by  the  ambition  of  clerical  novices  not  having 
before  their  eyes  the  warning  of  the  apostle  Paul,  and  the  con- 
demnation of  the  first  fallen  angel.  The  selection  of  the  Com- 
missioners was  highly  judicious.  The  names  of  such  men  as 
Mr.  Lyle,  Mr.  Stuart,  Dr.  Wilson  and  Dr.  Cleland,  names  that 
will  long  be  cherished  in  the  West  with  affection  and  esteem, 
may  serve  as  a  guarantee  for  the  wisdom  and  propriety  of  what 
was  done.  They  were  indeed  assailed  on  the  spot  with  a  fa- 
natical rancor  and  a  vulgar  ribaldry,  poorly  calculated  to  exalt 
our  ideas  of  the  morals  or  the  manners  of  the  population  ;  and, 
as  was  to  be  expected,  by  those  who  chafed  under  the  wholesome 
curb  of  discipline  their  appointment  has  been  branded  as  inquis- 
itorial tyranny,  and  their  measures  as  high-handed  usurpation  ; 
but  the  voice  of  the  Supreme  Tribunal  of  the  Church,  and  the 
verdict  of  impartial  posterity,  have  not  only  acquitted  them  of 
censure,  but  have  pronounced  a  cordial  approval  of  their  con- 
duct, as  meriting  well  of  their  own  and  succeeding  generations. 


*  Min.  Syn.  vol.  i.  pp.  98,  103.    Lyle's  Tour,  p.  64. 
t  Mill.  Syn.  vol.  i.  p.  103. 


THE    CUMBERLAND   PRESBYTERIAN    SCHISM.  243 

The  charge  that  this  was  an  un-Presbyterian  measure  could 
have  originated  only  in  the  grossest  ignorance  of  the  practice  of 
the  Mother  Church  of  Scotland.  "  What  matters,"  says  Stewart 
of  Pardovan,  "  General  Assemblies  cannot  undertake  themselves 
they  do  refer  to  their  Commissions  ;  in  propriety  of  speech  they 
do  import  the  same  thing  with  committees  ;  yet,  de  praxi,  a 
committee  is  appointed  only  to  prepare  matters,  whereas  a  Com- 
mission determines  in  matters  committed  to  them,  and  from  whose 
sentence  therein  lieth  no  appeal  to  the  ensuing  General  Assem- 
bly, though  a  complaint  may  be  tabled  before  the  next  General 
Assembly  against  the  Commission  on  account  of  their  proceed- 
ings."* 

Immediately  after  the  Commission  was  dissolved,  the  majority 
of  Cumberland  Presbytery,  or  the  Revival  Members,  as  they 
loved  to  be  styled,  formed  themselves  into  a  Council,  consisting 
of  ministers,  elders,  and  representatives  from  vacancies.  All 
the  congregations  connected  with  the  party  heartily  united, 
with  very  few  exceptions.  At  these  councils  no  Presbyterial 
business  was  transacted.  They  continued  to  preach,  and  en- 
couraged the  young  men  to  exhort  and  preach,  regardless  of  the 
Commission's  prohibition.  Meanwhile  the  revival  continued  to 
make  progress,  and  numbers  were  added  to  the  churches. f 

The  withdrawal  of  Mr.  McGready  from  their  ranks,  soon  after 
the  formation  of  the  Council,  was  a  heavy  blow  to  the  party. 
Mr.  McGready  was  a  Calvinist  of  the  old  school.  He  lamented 
the  prevalence  of  Arminian  sentiments,  and  feared  a  still  wider 
departure  from  orthodoxy  in  the  course  of  time.  He  was  ar- 
dently attached  to  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  had  had  no  expec- 
tation that  the  measures  of  the  Presbytery  would  lead  to  a 
separation.  After  the  meeting  of  the  Commission,  he  became 
convinced  that  such  would  be  the  final  issue,  and  determined  to 
keep  aloof.  He  ceased  to  attend  the  Councils,  although  two 
years  elapsed  before  he  returned  to  Transylvania  Presbytery. 
He  shortly  after  removed  to  the  town  of  Henderson,  upon  the 
Ohio  river,  at  a  greater  distance  from  the  scene  of  agitation. J 

Alarmed  by  the  recent  events,  the  West  Lexington  Presby- 
tery resolved  to  redouble  its  caution ;  and  at  their  meeting  in 


*  Stewart's  Collections,  Bk.  I.  Title  15.    Brief  Hist.  p.  10. 
f  Smith,  p.  614.  t  Smith,  p.  615. 


244  THE    CUMBEllLAND    rRESBYTEllIAN    SCHISM. 

April,  1806,  in  order  to  guard  against  the  admission  of  insuf- 
ficient men  into  the  ministry,  Mr.  Lyle  was  appointed  "  Profes- 
sor of  Theology."  All  students  and  candidates  under  the 
care  of  the  Presbytery  were  recommended  to  him,  and  were 
to  continue  under  his  direction  till  the  Presbytery  should 
deem  them  to  have  acquired  a  competent  knowledge  of  The- 
ology.* 

At  the  following  Synod  in  Lexington,  October  21st,  180G, 
Messrs.  Craighead,  Templin,  Hodge,  Rankin,  Donnell,  and  Dicky, 
with  Thomas  Donnell,  an  elder,  were  present  from  Cumberland 
Presbytery.  Mr.  McGready,  by  letter,  satisfactorily  explained 
the  reason  of  his  absence.  Messrs.  Hodge  and  Rankin  attended 
not  from  obedience  to  the  citation  of  the  Commission,  but,  by  the 
advice  of  the  council,  for  the  purpose  of  effecting  a  reconcilia- 
tion.f  The  minutes  of  the  Commission  were  read,  and  their 
proceedings  sanctioned.  Hodge  and  Rankin,  being  called  on, 
professed  that  they  were  willing  to  undergo  a  personal  exami- 
nation, but  were  not  willing  to  submit  to  the  silencing  of  the 
young  men.  Their  reasons  appeared  to  the  Synod  unsatisfac- 
tory and  inadmissible.  In  hope  of  their  being  induced  to  recede 
from  their  determination,  a  final  decision  w'as  repeatedly  defer- 
red, and  a  committee  was  appointed  to  confer  privately  with 
them.  The  committee  labored  zealously,  but  could  accomplish 
nothing.  The  two  members  explicitly  disavowed  all  heterodox 
opinions,J  but  continued  resolute  in  their  contumacy.  The  Sy- 
nod, in  consequence,  pronounced  upon  them,  at  length,  sentence 
of  suspension  until  repentance  and  submission.  Being  asked  if 
they  desired  to  appeal,  they  disclaimed  all  intention  of  appealing 
to  any  earthly  tribunal.  The  citations  of  the  absentees  were 
renewed. 

It  being  apparent  that  the  difficulties  in  the  Cumberland  Pres- 
bytery had  grown  to  such  a  height  as  to  incapacitate  for  the 
transaction  of  business,  the  Synod  dissolved  it,  and  reannexed 
the  members  to  the  Presbytery  of  Transylvania. § 

*  Min.  West  Lex.  Pby.  vol.  i.  p.  175.  It  would  seem  that  great  difficnlty 
was  experienced  in  getting  the  Sessions  to  keep  and  present  Records.  Inquiries 
were  repeatedly  made.  In  October,  1805,  Tull  and  Howe  kept  no  regular 
record ;  Stuart  only  partially ;  the  year  following  neither  Howe  nor  Biytlie 
were  found  to  have  a  session  book  ;  but  all  promised  amendment,    pp.  162,  191, 

t  Smith,  p.  616.  t  Smith,  p.  623. 

5  Min.  Syn.  vol.  i.  pp.  104-126.     Smith,  p.  616. 


THE   CUMBERLAND   PRESBYTERIAN   SCHISM.  245 

The  suspended  members,  although  they  had  disclaimed  any 
intention  of  appealing  from  the  sentence  of  the  Synod,  neverthe- 
less united  with  the  rest  of  the  Council,  (to  whom  they  reported 
their  failure,)  in  sending  up  a  letter  of  remonstrance  to  the  next 
General  Assembly.  This  was  a  long  document,  occupying  more 
than  half  a  dozen  octavo  pages.  In  this  document  they  took  a 
retrospect  of  the  last  seven  years  ;  elaborately  vindicated  their 
proceedings,  by  pleading  the  necessity  of  the  case,  the  Assem- 
bly's letter  to  Mr.  Rice,  and  other  considerations ;  expatiated  on 
their  meekness,  entreaties,  and  unprovoking  defence  ;  and  com- 
plained bitterly  of  the  severity  of  the  Commission.  So  far  from 
rejecting  the  doctrines  or  discipline  of  the  Church,  every  preach- 
er and  exhorter  had  adopted  or  received  the  Confession,  firmly 
persuaded  that  it  contains  the  best  system  of  Scripture  doctrines 
and  discipline,  of  any  known  by  them  upon  earth,  but  not  so 
sacred  nor  infallible  as  the  Scriptures.  At  the  Councils,  for 
they  had  not  met  as  a  Presbytery  since  the  Commission,  all  their 
licentiates  had  cheerfully  submitted  to  a  re-examination  upon 
divinity  as  taught  in  the  Shorter  Catechism  ;  also  upon  English 
grammar  and  other  useful  studies.  They  never  had  embraced 
the  idea  of  an  unlearned  ministry,  but,  on  the  contrary,  esteemed 
a  learned  and  pious  ministry,  and  hoped  the  Church  might  never 
be  destitute  of  such  an  ornament. 

They  concluded  with  intimating,  not  by  way  of  threat,  but  of 
honest  information,  that  they  had  great  difficulty  to  prevent  the 
people  breaking  off  at  once  ;  and  if  their  grievances  were  not 
redressed,  every  respectable  congregation  in  Cumberland  and 
the  Barrens  of  Kentucky  would  be  lost.  The  reverse  would 
bind  them  to  the  Presbyterian  connection,  and  give  joy  to 
thousands.  They  signed  themselves,  "  your  distressed  subscrib- 
ing brothers."* 

In  May,  1807,  the  General  Assembly  met.  Dr.  Archibald 
Alexander  was  Moderator  that  year.     The  Rev.  Messrs.  Came- 


*  Smith,  pp.  619-625.  It  is  observable  that  the  MemoriaHsts  maintain  a  dis- 
creet silence  as  to  adopting  with  reservations  ;  and  their  description  of  tiieir  own 
lamb-like  demeanor  is  in  strikin(>;  contrast  with  tlic  accounts  given  by  Clcland, 
Stuart,  and  Lyle.  If  they  had  no  other  text-book  in  divinity  for  their  candidates 
than  the  Shorter  Catechism,  a  compend  which  ought  to  have  been  familiar  to 
every  child  in  the  congregation,  it  must  be  confessed  that  they  were  likely  to 
rear  a  body  of  profound  theologians !  How  they  disposed  of  the  bugbear  of 
"  Fatality,"  in  the  Catechism,  is  left  entirely  in  the  dark. 


246  THE    CtJMBERLAXD   PRESBYTERIAN    SCHISM. 

ron  and  Kemper,  and  Mr.  McCalla,  elder,  were  on  the  floor 
from  the  Synod  of  Kentucky.  The  Cumberland  case  attracted 
much  attention,  and  elicited  a  keen  debate.  Dr.  Green,  and 
Messrs.  Janeway,  Cathcart,  Linn,  and  Cameron,  warmly  advo- 
cated the  Synod  ;  Drs.  Miller,  Woodhull,  James  P.  Wilson,  and 
Speece,  were  as  strenuous  in  opposition.  With  the  latter  party 
sided  Messrs.  Kemper  and  McCalla.  It  appeared  to  be  the  pre- 
vailing opinion  that  the  Cumberland  Presbytery  had  erred,  but 
that  the  Synod  had  acted  with  too  much  rigor.  It  was  argued, 
that  a  Synod  may  proceed  against  a  Presbytery  by  censuring, 
dividing,  or  dissolving  it,  but  not  against  individual  members, 
except  in  case  of  appeal ;  that  only  a  Presbytery  can  examine 
licentiates  or  call  members  to  account  for  errors  in  doctrine  or 
practice ;  that  a  man  once  ordained,  although  improperly,  can- 
not be  afterwards  deprived  of  his  office  except  for  some  cause 
arising  or  made  public  after  ordination  ;  that  the  Synod  were 
correct  in  dissolving  and  reannexing  the  Presbytery,  but  trans- 
cended their  power  in  suspending  ordained  ministers,  especially 
by  a  Commission.  On  the  other  hand,  there  was  a  strong 
minority,  who  strenuously  maintained  the  necessity  of  strict  dis- 
cipline, and  insisted  on  the  authority  and  rights  of  Synods  and 
General  Assemblies.*  The  issue  was,  that  the  Assembly  dis- 
patched two  letters,  one  to  the  Synod,  and  the  other  to  Mr. 
McAdow  and  his  friends. 

In  the  letter  to  the  Synod,  the  Assembly  commended  the  zeal 
and  decision  exhibited  by  them  in  very  embarrassing  circum- 
stances ;  but,  at  the  same  time,  suggested  that  the  insisting  on 
the  young  men's  re-examination,  the  suspension  of  the  irregu- 
larly ordained  ministers  without  process,  and  the  suspension  of 
Messrs.  Hodge  and  Rankin  for  resisting  the  re-examination, 
were  "at  least  of  questionable  regularity."     They,  therefore, 


*  The  above  details  are  gleaned  from  a  letter  written  to  Mr.  Hodge,  by  a  mem- 
ber of  the  first  Presbyterian  Church  in  Philadelphia,  under  the  care  of  Dr.  J.  P. 
Wilson,  and  a  Trustee  of  the  Assembly ;  the  name  is  suppressed.  The  writer 
was  evidently  one  who  sympathized  warmly  with  the  recusants.  The  whole 
letter  may  be  found  in  Smith,  pp.  625-627.  Smith  also  quotes  with  exultation 
the  opinion  of  "  that  evangelical  minister  and  sound  disciplinarian,  Dr.  Ely," 
who  said,  in  his  brief  history  of  the  Cumberland  Presbyterians,  "There  can  be  no 
doubt  now  in  the  mind  of  any  sound  Presbyterian  but  that  the  suspension  of  the 
ministers  above  named  was  wholly  unconstitutional,  and  ought,  therefore,  to  be 
held  to  be  void."    p.  617. 


THE    CUMBERLAND   PRESBYTERIAN    SCHISM.  047 

advised  a  serious  review  of  their  proceedings,  in  order,  if  possi- 
ble, to  mitigate  or  remove  the  evils  complained  of.  Without 
implying  that  the  demands  of  our  standards  should  be  regarded 
otherwise  than  inviolable  and  indispensable,  yet  there  must  be 
supposed  the  right  and  the  duty  of  exercising  a  sound  discretion, 
which  will  consult  the  spirit,  as  well  as  the  letter  of  the  law ; 
which  will  sometimes  forbid  the  exercise  of  legitimate  power  ; 
which  will  endeavor,  with  equal  caution,  to  avoid  the  extremes 
of  rigor  and  of  laxness  ;  which  will  yield  something,  yet  not 
concede  everything,  to  circumstances ;  which,  in  a  word,  will 
recollect  that  power  is  given  for  edification,  and  not  for  destruc- 
tion, and  endeavor  to  be  guided  by  this  rule.  The  Assembly 
expressed  the  hope  that  in  the  exercise  of  this  discretion,  the 
Synod  might  be  able  to  re-establish  the  Presbytery  of  Cumber- 
land, and  restore  to  Christian  communion,  and  ministerial  useful- 
ness, some  of  its  former  members  and  licentiates,  without 
sacrificing  either  the  doctrines  or  the  government  of  our  Church. 
Of  this  the  Synod  must  be  the  judge.* 

In  their  letter  to  Mr.  McAdow  and  his  associates,  the  Assembly 
expressed  their  regret  at  the  existing  difficulties,  but  stated  it  as 
their  opinion  that  these  difficulties  w^ere  traceable  to  the  Presby- 
tery's own  conduct  in  licensing  and  ordaining  a  number  of  per- 
sons without  the  qualifications  required  by  our  book  of  discipline, 
and  without  explicit  adoption  of  the  Covfession  of  Faith.  This 
conduct  the  Assembly  decidedly  disapproved,  as  being  highly 
irregular  and  unconstitutional ;  leading  to  the  most  dangerous 
consequences,  in  introducing  into  our  Church,  as  teachers,  illit- 
erate men,  and  men  of  any  religious  principles,  however  erro- 
neous. As  the  complainants  had  not  regularly  appealed,  the 
Assembly  did  not  feel  called  upon  to  decide  judicially  on  the 
case,  and  referred  them  to  the  Synod  who  were  advised  to  re- 
view their  proceedings.  Finally,  they  were  exhorted  to  return 
to  a  strict  and  steady  adherence  to  the  Constitution  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  and  to  endeavor  sincerely  to  promote  the  peace 
and  best  interests  of  the  Redeemer's  kingdom. f 

At  their  next  meeting,  the  Synod,  according  to  the  advice  of 
the   Assembly,  reviewed  their   proceedings,   and   re-read   the 


*  See  the  entire  letter  in  the  Assembly's  Digest,  p.  137. 
t  Digest,  p.  139. 


248  THE    CUMBERLAND   PRESBYTERIAN   SCHISM. 

minutes  of  the  Commission.  After  consuming  three  days  in 
dehberation,  they  re-affirmed  all  their  decisions,  the  demand  for 
the  surrender  of  the  young  men,  and  the  suspension  of  Hodge 
and  Rankin  for  resisting  it.  They  denied  that  the  irregularly 
ordained  preachers  had  been  suspended  at  all  in  a  technical 
sense,  or  that  the  Commission  had  dealt  with  them  without  pro- 
cess.* Messrs.  Blythe,  Lyle,  J.  L.  Wilson,  and  R.  G.  Wilson, 
were  appointed  a  committee  to  answer  the  Assembly's  letter. 
By  some  untoward  accident  this  answer  did  not  reach  the  As- 
sembly till  the  year  1809,  a  delay  deeply  to  be  regretted  in  the 
posture  of  affairs  at  that  time ;  but  it  was  afterwards  satisfac- 
torily accounted  for  by  the  clerk. 

The  recusant  members  were  committed  to  the  Presbytery  of 
Transylvania  to  be  dealt  with ;  Messrs.  Hodge  and  Rankin  to 
be  restored,  if  the  way  should  be  clear.  For  the  restoration  of 
Mr.  Hodge  an  urgent  petition  came  up  from  the  people  of  his 
chai'ge,  to  which  the  Synod  sent  a  firm  but  conciliatory  reply.f 

The  Presbytery  of  Transylvania,  in  compliance  with  the  di- 
rection of  the  Synod,  invited  the  individuals  in  question,  with  as 
many  of  the  young  men  as  might  choose  to  accompany  them,  to 
a  friendly  interview  at  Glasgow,  Barren  county.  Mr.  Hodge 
was  the  only  person  who  attended.  After  several  hours'  fami- 
liar conference,  and  on  his  request  for  further  time  for  delibera- 
tion, the  Presbytery  consented  to  state  fully  and  distinctly,  in  a 
written  form,  the  terms  on  which  an  accommodation  might  be 
effected.  While  they  expressed  their  unfeigned  solicitude  on 
account  of  the  late  breach,  they  explicitly  stated  the  necessity  of 
acknowledgment  and  submission  ;  and,  as  to  the  young  men,  a 
re-examination  and  unequivocal  adoption  of  the  Confession  of 
Faith,  which  they  denied  contained  the  notion  of  Fatality.  To 
these  terms  the  Council  would  not  submit.J 

But  although  the  Synod  were  unrepresented  in  the  Assembly 
of  1808,  and  neither  letter  nor  records  were  sent  up  for  their 
vindication,  the  Council  were  not  so  negligent  on  their  part. 


*  The  Synod  were  not  perfectly  unanimous  in  their  views.  On  the  first  of 
these  questions  the  vote  stood  22  ayes  to  4  nays  ;  viz  :  R.  G.  Wilson.  Welch, 
Wallace,  A.  McCalla.  On  the  second,  16  ayes  to  6  nays  ;  viz  :  Blythe,  R.  G. 
Wilson,  Welch,  Wallace,  McCalla,  Robb.     Min.  Syn.  vol.  i.  pp.  140,  142. 

t  Min.  Syn.  vol.  i.  pp.  137-144. 

I  Min.  Traas.  Pby.  vol.  iii.  pp.  213,  222.     Smith,  p.  632. 


THE    CUMBERLAXD   PRESBYTERIAN    SCHISM.  249 

They  earnestly  petitioned  the  Assembly  to  interfere  for  their 
relief;  which,  however,  the  Assembly  declined  doing,  referring 
them  back  to  the  Synod,  as  the  only  body  competent  to  redress 
their  grievances.  Dr.  McKnight,  Dr.  Hall,  and  Dr.  J.  P.  Wil- 
son, were  appointed  a  committee  to  communicate  this  to  the 
Council ;  and  to  write  also  to  the  Synod.  The  letter  to  the 
Synod  was  much  more  in  the  tenor  of  reprehension  than  that  of 
the  preceding  year,  but  although  read  and  disputed  by  para- 
graphs, and  approved  by  a  great  majority,  it  was  finally  deemed 
expedient  not  to  send  it,  as  it  might  only  produce  exasperation 
of  feeling.  After  the  adjournment  of  the  Assembly,  Dr.  Wilson 
addressed  a  letter  to  Mr.  Hodge  in  his  own  name,  expressive  of 
strong  sympathy,  reflecting  severely  on  the  Synod  ;  pronouncing 
the  Commission  unconstitutional ;  assuring  him  of  the  favorable 
sentiments  of  the  Assembly  ;  urging  him  to  return  and  appeal 
regularly,  although  a  disagreeable  condescension ;  recommend- 
ing the  establishment  of  a  grammar-school ;  and  gently  advising 
adherence  to  the  standards. 

At  their  meeting  in  October,  1808,  (the  same  meeting  at  which 
Marshall,  Stone,  McNemar,  Dunlavy,  and  Thomson,  were  de- 
posed,) the  Synod  finding  that  their  letter  had  been  detained  by 
accident,  prepared  another,  substantially  like  the  former  but 
more  condensed.  It  was  very  clear  and  sensible,  and  added  the 
Recusants'  aggravation  of  their  oflfence  by  since  neglecting  to 
follow  the  advice  of  the  Assembly.  It  was  drafted  by  Messrs. 
Campbell,  Stuart,  and  J.  L.  Wilson.* 

This  letter  was  attentively  considered  by  the  next  General 
Assembly,  (1809,)  together  with  the  minutes,  and  the  detained 
letter  of  the  previous  year,  therein  recorded.  Messrs.  Lyle  and 
Stuart  were  on  the  floor  as  commissioners  from  Kentucky,  hav- 
ing come,  at  great  expense  and  self-denial,  to  defend  the  Synod. 
Somewhat  awed  by  the  array  of  learned  doctors  and  dignified 
divines,  whose  names  they  had  been  accustomed  to  pronounce 
in  the  backwoods  with  veneration,  they  were  still  more  discon- 
certed by  observing  the  unfriendly  eye  with  which  the  whole 
Assembly,  with  Dr.  J.  P.  Wilson  at  their  head,  appeared  to  re- 
gard them.  The  prospect  was  at  first  gloomy  and  discourag- 
ing ;  but  after  some  examination  of  the  affair,  the  reading  of  the 

*  Min.  Syn.  vol.  i.  pp.  156,  161. 


250  "^^^    CUMBERLAND   PRESBYTERIAN    SCHISM. 

Synod's  letters,  and  the  explanations  of  the  Commissioners,  mat- 
ters began  to  assume  a  more  favorable  aspect.  Mr.  Lyle,  having 
overcome  his  awe,  and  yielding  to  his  feelings  as  was  his  wont, 
wept  freely  as  he  portrayed  in  vivid  colors  the  probable  effects 
of  the  discomfiture  and  disgrace  of  the  friends  of  truth  and  order. 
A  deep  impression  was  made.  Every  heart  was  touched  with 
profound  sympathy.  Dr.  Green,  and  Dr.  Dwight,  who  chanced 
to  be  a  delegate  that  year  from  the  General  Association  of  Con- 
necticut, ably  supported  them,  and  the  tide  was  completely 
turned.  The  proceedings  of  the  Synod  M^ere  sustained  without 
a  dissenting  voice  ;  and  while  the  Assembly  acknowledged 
their  explanations  to  be  able  and  fully  satisfactory,  they  deemed 
it  their  duty  to  say  in  addition,  that  the  Synod  deserved  the 
thanks  of  the  Church  for  the  firmness  and  zeal  with  which  they 
had  acted,  in  the  trying  circumstances  in  which  they  had  been 
placed.*  This  decision  was  final.  No  attempt  has  ever  been 
made  to  reverse  it,  and  it  must  be  considered  the  law  of  the 
Church,  confirmed  as  it  subsequently  was  by  the  Act  of  1814. 
Its  effects  were  highly  beneficial  in  settling  the  question  in  the 
region  where  it  was  first  agitated,  and  in  strengthening  the 
hands  of  the  Synod  in  the  midst  of  their  discouragements  and 
perplexities.! 

On  learning  this  decision,  most  of  the  Council  were  in  favor 
of  constituting  immediately  as  a  Presbytery  ;  but  on  cooler  re- 
flection resolved  to  make  one  more  effort  for  reconciliation. 
Messrs.  Hodge  and  Thomas  Donnell  were  accordingly  sent  as 
Commissioners  to  the  Synod,  but  without  discretionary  powers 
to  modify  the  terms  they  proposed.  These  terms  were,  a  will- 
ingness to  be  examined,  both  young  and  old,  on  doctrinal  tenets, 
by  the  Synod,  Transylvania  Presbytery,  or  a  committee  ap- 
pointed for  the  purpose ;  provided,  that  they  were  received  or 
rejected  as  a  connected  body,  and  that  all  the  ordained  ministers 
or  licentiates  retain  their  former  authority  derived  from  the  Cum- 
berland Presbytery.     They  also  expressed  their  willingness  to 


■*  Digest,  p.  140.  Memoranda  of  Stuart's  Conversations.  Mr.  Smith  says, 
"jMr.  Lyle,  one  of  the  most  violent  members  of  the  Commission,  was  present  at  this 
Assembly,  and  represented  to  the  members,  that  there  was  no  prospect  the  mem- 
bers of  C.  Pby.  ever  would  come  regularly  before  them."     P.  633. 

f  Brief  Hist.  p.  17. 


THE   CUMBERLAND   PRESBYTERIAN   SCHISM.  251 

adopt  the  Confession,  if  required,  with  the  exception  of  the  idea 
of  fatahty  only.* 

The  Synod  met  in  October,  when  Mr.  Hodge  appeared  before 
them  ;  but  they  would  not  accede  to  the  terms  proposed.  Mr. 
Hodge  then,  in  his  own  name,  prayed  Synod  to  appoint  a  com- 
mittee to  examine  the  young  men,  dispensing  with  high  literary 
qualifications  in  the  case  of  such  as  might  be  found  orthodox  and 
apt  to  teach  ;  and  next,  to  deal  with  him  as  an  individual,  and 
restore  him.  In  consequence  of  last  petition,  together  with  one 
similar  from  Nelson  and  Samuel  Hodge,  as  well  as  of  a  reference 
from  the  Presbytery,  the  Synod  first  appointed  a  Commission  of 
seven  ministers  and  three  elders  to  consider  the  case  ;  but  after- 
wards rescinded  the  appointment,  and  directed  the  Presbytery 
of  Transylvania  to  meet  at  Greentown  for  the  special  purpose  of 
restoring  these  individuals.! 

The  Presbytery  met  accordingly  at  Greentown,J  on  Wednes- 
day, December  Gth,  1809,  when  the  three  persons  before  named, 
Mr.  William  Hodge,  his  nephew,  Samuel  Hodge,  and  Thomas 
Nelson,  were  present.  The  first  of  these  gentlemen,  after  having 
professed  his  sorrow  for  his  past  irregularities,  and  avowing  his 
full  and  unequivocal  subscription  to  the  Confession  of  Faith,  and 
his  determination  to  submit  to  the  authority  and  discipline  of  the 
Church,  was  restored  to  his  former  standing.^ 

Messrs.  Nelson  and  Samuel  Hodge,  who  had  been  irregularly 
licensed  and  ordained  by  the  late  Cumberland  Presbytery,  and 
had  been  prohibited  from  preaching  in  consequence  by  the  Com- 
mission of  Synod,  now  came  forward,  and  professed  their  desire 
to  submit  themselves  to  the  wisdom  and  discretion  of  the  Pres- 
bytery. After  a  long  and  particular  examination,  the  Presby- 
tery were  satisfied  with  regard  to  their  doctrinal  soundness, 
their  aptness  to  teach,  their  adoption  of  the  Confession,  and  their 
solemn  promise  to  conform  to  the  rules  of  the  Church.  Their 
former  license  and  ordination  were  unanimously  confirmed,  and 
they  were  authorized  to  exercise  all  the  functions  of  the  sacred 
ofRce.  They  were  then  recognized  and  welcorped  as  members 
of  the  Presbytery,  and  took  their  seats  accordingly.!! 


*  Smith,  pp.  634,681. 

t  Mill.  Syn.,  vol.  i.  pp.  172,  171. 

I  It  is  cnlled  Groensbiirg  in  tho  Brief  Hist.,  p.  21. 
5  Min.  Trans.  Pyb.,  vol.  iii.  p.  241. 

II  Min.  Trans,  rby.,  vol.  iii.  p.  242, 


252  THE    CUMBERLAND   PRESBYTERIAN    SCHISM. 

The  Council,  who,  on  the  rejection  of  their  overtures,  had  de- 
terniined  by  a  large  majority  to  organize  as  an  independent  Pres- 
bytery, found  their  plans  all  at  once  arrested,  and  their  affairs 
nearly  desperate.     Nelson  and  the  two  Hodges  had  just  left 
them  to  return  to  the  bosom  of  the  Church  ;*  McGready  had 
sent  a  letter  of  submission  to  the  Presbytery,  (which  he  followed 
up  by  full  acknowledgments  in  person,  October  3d,  1810;)  Ran- 
kin had  meantime  apostatized  to  the  Shakers,  for  which  he  had 
been  deposed,  March  24th,  1809 ;  McAdow  had  been  too  great 
a  valetudinarian  for  some  time,  to  take  part  in  public  affairs  ; 
and  McGee  was  in  a  pitiable  state  of  indecision,  believing  that 
the  truth  lay  somewhere  between  Calvinism  and  Arminianism, 
but  unable  to  frame  a  system  satisfactory  to  himself,  and  in  con- 
sequence refraining  from  the   exercise  of  all  ministerial  func- 
tions.f     Ewing  and  King  were  the  only  ordained  ministers  left, 
and  they  were  under  the  ban  of  the  Synod.     They  were  thus 
prevented  from  constituting  a  Presbytery,  by  the  want  of  the 
requisite  number  of  three  ministers  to  form  it.      In  this  per- 
plexity, they  resolved  themselves  into  a  Committee  of  Union  ; 
and  pledged  themselves  mutually  to  hold  together,  ministers, 
licentiates,  elders,  and  representatives,  and  to  keep  the  societies 
united,  till  the  third  Friday  in  March,  of  the  following  year,  when 
they  would  re-assemble  at  the  Ridge  Meeting-House,  and  delibe- 
rate on  the  course  it  might  seem  best  then  to  pursue.  J     No  one 
was  to  be  released  from  this  bond,  unless,  in  the  interim,  three 
ordained  ministers  belonging  to  the  body  should  agree  to  consti- 
tute a  Presbytery. § 

In  order  to  secure  this  important  point,  Ewing,  King,  and  the 
licentiate  McLean,  paid  a  visit  to  McAdow,  more  than  a  month 
previous  to  the  time  appointed  for  the  general  meeting,  and 
exerted  all  their  energies  to  persuade  him  to  unite  in  constituting 
a  Presbytery.  He  at  first  hesitated  to  take  so  decisive  a  step,  but 
at  last,  with  a  mind  enfeebled  by  long  illness,  yielded  to  their 
importunity.  After  a  night  and  a  day  spent  in  solitary  prayer 
and  deliberation,  he  met  them  with  a  cheerful  countenance,  in- 


*  Thomas  Donnell,  an  elder,  also  withdrew  at  the  same  time.     Smith,  p.  636. 
f  He  afterwards  joined  the  new  Cumberland  Presbytery  in  the  fall  of  1810. 
t  Smith,  pp.  636,  637. 
§  Smith,  Circular  of  the  C.  Pby.,  p.  632. 


THE    CUMBERLAND   PRESBYTERIAN   SCHISM.  253 

forming  them  that  God  had  decided  the  doubtful  question,  and 
had  clearly  satisfied  him  that  it  was  his  duty  to  consent.* 

Accordingly,  on  the  fourth  day  of  February,  1810,  these  three 
men,  Finis  Ewing,  Samuel  King,  and  Samuel  McAdow,  consti- 
tuted themselves  into  an  independent  Presbytery,  under  the 
name  and  style  of  Cumberland  Presbytery.  Their  first  act  was 
to  ordain  Ephraim  McLean,  which  made  their  number  four. 
They  also  adopted  a  brief  Constitution,  in  which  they  justified 
their  action,  by  alleging  that  they  had  waited  in  vain  for  a  re- 
dress of  grievances  for  more  than  four  years.  They  recognized 
the  Confession  and  Discipline  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  as  their 
Standards,  and  all  who  could  receive  them  without  exception 
were  to  be  at  liberty  to  do  so  ;  but  provision  was  made  for  such  as 
believed  the  idea  of  fatality  to  be  couched  under  the  doctrine  of 
predestination,  and  they  were  to  be  permitted  to  except  thereto. 
Examinations  were  to  be  required  of  all  candidates,  on  English 
grammar,  geography,  astronomy,  natural  and  moral  philosophy, 
Church  history,  experimental  religion  and  theology.f 

In  March,  1810,  as  agreed  on,  the  Council  re-assembled. 
There  were  present,  the  four  members  of  the  new  Presbytery, 
six  licentiates,  and  seven  candidates,  seventeen  in  all ;  besides 
elders  and  representatives  from  the  churches.J  They  resolved 
that  if  a  successful  negotiation  could  not  be  effected  with  the 
Synod,  they  would  all  enter  the  new  organization  on  the  fourth 
Tuesday  in  October  ensuing. § 

In  April  following,  the  Presbytery  of  Transylvania  declared 
Mr.  McAdow  suspended  for  his  contumacious  and  schismatical 
conduct.  Being  made  aware  of  Mr.  McGee's  distressed  state  of 
mind,  they  addressed  him  an  affectionate  letter,  inviting  him  to 
a  friendly  conference  at  their  next  session.  Receiving  no  reply, 
they  repeated  the  invitation  in  October  ;  but  all  their  well-meant 
endeavors  were  fruitless,  for  in  the  fall  he  joined  the  independent 
body.  The  consequence  was  that  he  was  also  suspended  shortly 
after.  II 

This  was  done  by  the  Presbytery  of  Muhlenburg ;  for  the 
Synod  this  year  divided  Transylvania  Presbytery,  (which  com- 


*  Smith,  p.  639.  f  Smith,  p.  640. 

t  Smith,  pp.  642,  643.  {  Smith,  Circular,  p.  681. 

II  Min.  Trans.  Pby.,  vol.  iii.  pp.  250,  266.  Smith,  p.  643.    Brief  L'ist.  p.  23 
17 


254  THE    CUMBERLAND   PRESBYTERIAN    SCHISM. 

plained  of  its  extensive  boundaries,  being  280  miles  on  the  north, 
and  200  miles  from  east  to  west,)  into  three,  viz :  West  Tennessee, 
including  Messrs.  James  W.  Stephenson,  Duncan  Brov^^n,  Samuel 
Donnell,  and  Samuel  Ilndge;  Muhlenburg,  including  Messrs. 
Templin,  McGready,  Balch,  Craighead,  William  Hodge,  John 
Howe,  William  McGee,  Dicky,  and  Nelson ;  Transylvania,  in- 
cluding all  that  tract  of  country  lying  between  the  last-mentioned 
Presbytery  and  the  Kentucky  river.  At  the  same  time  Wash- 
ington Presbytery  was  also  divided  into  two,  Washington  and 
Miami.*  The  number  of  the  Presbyteries  within  the  bounds  of 
the  Synod  of  Kentucky  now  amounted  to  six. 

The  new  Presbytery  of  Cumberland,  deeming  further  negotia- 
tion with  the  Synod  either  unnecessary  or  hopeless,  (for  there  is 
no  record  of  any  such  attempt,)  were  now  fairly  under  way ; 
and,  as  one  of  their  first  measures,  published  a  Circular  Letter 
to  all  the  churches  within  their  bounds,  professing  to  furnish  a 
correct  statement  of  the  origin  and  history  of  the  separation.! 

There  was  however  another  effort  made  by  the  West  Tennes- 
see Presbytery  in  October,  1811,  when  delegates  from  each  body 
met  to  confer  about  a  re-union.  The  effort  proved  abortive. 
The  Presbytery  of  West  Tennessee  then  addressed  a  Pastoral 
Letter  to  their  churches,  warning  them  of  the  heterodoxy  and 
irregular  orders  of  the  Cumberland  Presbytery ;  to  which  Finis 
Ewing  published  a  reply,  which  was  regarded  by  his  own  party 
as  an  able  composition.  Intercommunion  now  ceased  between 
Cumberland  Presbyterians  and  those  who  adhered  to  the  General 
Assembly.  J 

Free  at  last,  and  untrammelled  by  disciplinaiy  restrictions,  the 
progress  of  the  new  Presbytery  was  rapid.  In  three  years  from 
its  callow  state,  after  narrowly  escaping  being  strangled  in 
its  previous  birth-throes,  it  grew  into  a  Synod,  with  three 
Presbyteries  and  sixty  congregations  under  its  wings.  The 
Presbyteries  were  called  Cumberland,  Logan,  and  Elk  ;  but  the 
name  of  Nashville  was  soon  substituted  for  the  first.  The 
Synod  held  its  first  meeting,  October  5th,  1813 ;  when  they  pre- 
sented to  the  world  a  summary  of  their  tenets.  It  was  designed 


*  Min.  Syn.,  vol.  i.  pp.  187-189. 

f  This  Circular  may  be  seen  at  length  in  Smith,  Appendix,  p.  677. 

I  iSmith,  p.  644. 


THE   CUMBERLAND   PRESBYTERIAN   SCHISM.  255 

for  publication  in  Woodward's  edition  of  Buck's  Theological 
Dictionary ;  and  as  in  this  account  there  are  several  misrepre- 
sentations, it  may  not  be  amiss  to  notice  them.* 

Ewing  and  King  are  styled  "  regularly  ordained  ministers  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church  ;"  notwithstanding  the  Commission  had 
silenced  them,  and  the  prohibition  had  received  the  sanction  suc- 
cessively of  the  Synod  and  the  General  Assembly,  by  which 
latter  court  their  ordination  was  pronounced  "  highly  irregular 
and  unconstitutional."  They  indeed,  did  not  scruple  to  call  this 
interdict  an  *'  unconstitutional  act,"  and  not  only  as  such  voida- 
ble, but  absolutely  null  and  void,  from  a  technical  oversight ; 
having  been  prohibited  from  preaching  by  virtue  of  any  authori- 
ty derived  from  Cumberland  Presbytery,  whereas  their  authority 
was  derived  from  Transylvania,  just  prior  to  the  erection  of 
Cumberland.  This  was  manifestly  a  mere  inadvertence,  as  has 
been  already  fully  explained.  How  far  such  an  inadvertence 
might  invalidate  or  vitiate  the  entire  act,  involves  a  legal  quib- 
ble, which  we  shall  not  undertake  to  discuss  at  present.  Both 
Bush's  edition  of  Buck,  and  Brown's  Religious  Encyclopedia, 
perpetuate  the  error  of  giving  undue  prominence  to  the  point 
of  classical  learning,  overlooking  the  more  important  and  real 
difficulty  of  unsoundness  in  doctrine. 

Another  error  proper  to  be  noticed  is,  that  the  Commission 
are  said  to  have  tabled  many  charges,  reducible  to  two  heads, 
the  first  of  which  was  licensing  without  examination  on  the  lan- 
guages. This  is  not  strictly  correct ;  as  the  records  show,  and 
as  is  attested  by  the  explicit  denial  of  hving  members  of  that 
court.f  This  was  far  from  being  regarded  as  the  most  heinous 
offence.  The  Synod,  in  their  apology  to  the  Assembly,  stated 
that  they  had  hoped  to  find  some,  out  of  so  many,  who  might  be 
qualified  to  be  useful ;  and  the  Presbytery  of  Transylvania  sub- 
sequently received,  with  their  approbation,  two  of  those  young 
men.  It  was  not  the  want  of  classical  learning,  but  unsoundness 
in  doctrine,  the  adoption  of  the  Confession  with  reservations, 
(charge  2d,  as  above  alluded  to,)  that  created  the  grand  diffi- 
culty ;  and  the  removal  of  this  hindrance  would  have  wonder- 


*  Smith,  p.  645.     Woodward's  Buck,  fifth  ed.  p.  419.     The  same  erroneous 
statements  are  made  in  the  "  Circular,"  Smith,  p.  677. 
t  Brief  Hist.,  p.  26. 


256  THE   CUMBERLAND   PRESBYTERIAN   SCHISM. 

fully  facilitated  the  accommodation  ol»the  other.  The  able  his- 
torian of  the  Cumberland  Presbyterians  himself  admits  this  in 
several  places.* 

The  year  following,  (1814,)  the  Cumberland  Synod  ventured 
to  take  a  bolder  step,  and  in  their  own  words,  "  to  model,  to  ex- 
punge, and  to  add  to,  the  Confession  of  the  Presbyterian  Church." 
Calvinism  is  a  complete  and  compact  system,  and,  as  in  a  well- 
constructed  arch,  every  separate  doctrine  is  a  keystone,  which 
cannot  be  abstracted  without  endangering  the  whole.  As  from 
the  foot  we  may  infer  the  proportions  of  the  statue,  or  reproduce 
a  Saurian  from  its  fossil  fragments,  so  each  single  doctrine  of 
the  Calvinistic  scheme  naturally  and  necessarily  involves  the 
adoption  of  all  the  rest.  Forgetful  or  unconscious  of  this  truth, 
they  endeavored,  in  the  altered  edition  of  the  Confession  and 
Catechisms,t  to  steer  a  middle  course  between  Calvinism  and 
Arminianism,  (if  a  middle  course  there  can  be ;)  rejecting  the 
doctrines  of  eternal  reprobation,  limited  atonement,  and  special 
grace,  and  maintaining  that  the  Spirit  of  God  operates  on  the 
world,  or  co-extensively  with  the  atonement,  so  as  to  leave  all 
men  inexcusable.  J 

*  "  Moreover,  it  was  the  adherence  of  the  young  men  to  these  views,  that 
produced  the  final  separation  of  the  two  parties ;  for  all  the  young  men  after- 
wards proposed  to  the  Transylvania  Presbytery,  that  they,  as  a  body,  would  sub- 
mit to  a  re-examination,  with  the  understanding  that  they  should  be  indulged  in 
their  conscientious  scruples  on  this  subject."  Smith,  p.  611.  "  As  the  literary 
attainments  of  Mr.  Hodge  were  inferior  to  those  of  most  of  the  young  men  licens- 
ed or  ordained  by  Cumberl.  Presby.,  v/e  are  warranted  in  the  conclusion,  that 
the  only  very  serious  difficulty  existing  between  the  t'vo  bodies  consisted  in  the 
rejection,  by  the  members  of  the  Council,  of  what  thoy  deemed  fatality ;  and,  as 
the  others  argued  that  fatality  was  not  taught  in  the  (IJonfession  of  Faith,  we 
think  these  brethren  might  have  been  indulged  in  their  conscientious  scruples 
on  that  subject."  p.  637. 

f  Some,  with  the  author  of  the  "  Brief  History,  might  prefer  to  call  it  a  muti- 
lation. Of  the  character  of  these  changes  a  specimen  is  presented  from  the 
Shorter  Catechism.  Q,.  7.  "  What  are  the  decrees  of  God  ?  A.  The  decreee 
of  God  are  his  purpose,  whereby,  according  to  the  council  of  his  own  will,  he 
hath  foreordained  to  bring  to  pass  what  shall  be  for  his  own  glory.  Sin  not  be- 
ing for  God's  glory,  therelbre  he  hath  not  decreed  it."  Q.  20.  "  Did  God  leave 
all  mankind  to  perish  in  the  estate  of  sin  and  misery  ?  A.  No.  God,  of  his 
mere  good  pleasure  and  love  did  provide  salvation  for  all  mankind,  by  giving  his 
Son  to  make  atonement  for  them,  that  he  who  believeth  should  not  perish  but 
have  eternal  hfe."  Q,.  31.  For  the  phrase,  "What  is  effectual  calling?"  is 
substituted,  "  What  is  the  work  of  the  Spirit  ?  Q.  82.  For  the  words,  "  Is  any 
man  able  perfectly  to  keep  the  commandments  of  God  ?"  are  substituted  tlinse, 
"  Is  any  man  able  perfectly  to  keep  the  moral  law  ?  A.  No."  Bishop's  Rice, 
p.  127.  Dr.  Baird  says  that  they  maintain  the  doctrine  of  the  Perseverance  of 
the  Saints,  and  on  other  points  than  those  specified,  are  essentially  Calyinistic, 
Religion  in  America,  p.  253. 

\  Religious  Encycl.  Buck,  art.  Cumb.  Presb. 


THE   CUMBERLAND   PRESBYTERIAN   SCHISM.  357 

In  the  same  year  final  action  was  taken  by  the  General  As- 
sembly upon  the  proper  treatment  of  the  Cumberland  Presbyte- 
rians, the  case  having  come  up  by  reference  ;  when  it  was  decid- 
ed, that  as  those  persons  were  under  censure  at  the  time  of  their 
constituting  as  a  Presbytery  ;  as  they  had  neglected  to  take  the 
regular  steps  for  its  removal  ;*  as  they  had  erected  themselves 
into  a  Judicatory  contrary  to  the  rules  of  our  discipline  ;  and  as 
tke  grounds  of  their  separation  were  that  we  would  not  relax 
our  discipline  and  surrender  important  doctrines  ;  therefore  the 
persons  aforesaid  were  to  be  viewed  as  having  derived  no  au- 
thority from  the  Presbyterian  Church  to  exercise  discipline,  or 
administer  the  ordinances  of  the  Church,  and  they  could  not  be 
treated  with  as  a  body,  but  only  as  individuals.! 

In  1825,  the  matter  was  again  considered  by  the  Assembly  ; 
when  it  was  decided  that  their  ministrations  "  are  to  be  viewed 
in  the  same  light  with  those  of  other  denominations,  not  con- 
nected with  our  body.  This  decision  is  grounded  on  the  opinion, 
that  the  act  of  the  Assembly  of  1814  precluded  the  propriety  of 
Deposition,  or  any  other  process  in  the  case." 

The  Synod  of  Kentucky,  although  they  were  in  a  highly  pros- 
perous condition,  being  enabled  to  report  (1815)  an  increasing 
thirst  for  religious  instruction,  the  extensive  distribution  of  Bibles 
and  tracts  with  good  results,  the  organization  of  many  new 
churches,  and  the  erection  of  three  new  Presbyteries,J  yet 
began  to  feel  the  necessity  of  taking  some  measures  for  their 
own  vindication  from  the  misrepresentations  that  were  industri- 
ously circulated  in  regard  to  them ;  as  well  as  to  put  on  their 


*  Dr.  Baird,  in  his  admirable  work,  Religion  in  America,  p.  253,  has  been  be- 
trayed into  an  error  in  stating  that  the  case  had  been  broujrht  by  appeal  before 
the  Assembly.  Tliough  there  was  a  correspondence  opened  on  the  part  of  the 
malcontents  as  individuals,  no  appeal  was  ever  regularly  taken.  On  the  con- 
trary, any  such  intention  was  openly  disavowed,  as  nas  been  already  narrated. 

f  Digest,  p.  167. 

j  These  were  the  Presbytery  of  Louisville,  erected  ont  of  Transylvania,  em- 
bracing'Messrs.  Shannon,  Cameron,  Vance,  and  Scott;  the  Presbyter)'  of  Mis- 
sissippi, erected  out  of  West  Tennes.see,  embracing  Messrs.  Bullin,  Montgomery, 
Rickhow,  and  Smilic ;  and  the  Presbytery  of  Shiloh,  erected  out  of  West  Ten- 
nessee and  Muhlenburg,  embracing  Messrs.  William  and  Samuel  Hodge,  Don- 
nell,  Shaw,  Newton,  Gillespie,  and  Morrison.  Min.  Syn.  vol.  ii.  pp.  89,  90. 
The  Synod  of  Ohio  had  been  erected  the  preceding  year,  (1814,)  composed  of 
the  Presbyteries  of  Lancaster,  Washington,  and  Miami.  Digest,  p.  42.  And 
in  1817,  the  Synod  of  Tennessee  was  erected,  composed  of  the  Presbyteries  of 
Union,  Shiloh,  West  Tennessee,  and  Mississippi.     Digest,  p.  44. 


258  THE    CUMBERLAND   PRESBYTERIAN    SCHISM. 

guard  such  of  their  members  as  might  be  in  danger  of  being  be- 
guiled into  communion  with  the  Cumberland  Presbyterians, 
through  motives  of  convenience,  or  the  supposed  affinity  of  the 
respective  connections  and  their  standards.  In  1815  they  direct- 
ed their  stated  clerk  to  prepare  and  publish  five  hundred  copies 
of  extracts  of  all  the  records  relating  to  the  schism  ;*  and  in 
1823,  a  pamphlet  made  its  appearance,  by  their  order,  purport- 
ing to  contain  '•  A  Brief  History"  of  their  proceedings  in  refer- 
ence to  the  Cumberland  Presbyterians,  correcting  erroneous 
impressions,  and  ably  vindicating  the  constitutionality  and  ex- 
pediency of  the  course  they  had  pursued. f  In  this  publication 
the  Synod  very  distinctly  disowned  them  as  a  legitimate  branch 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church.J 

Although,  like  the  New  Side  party  of  the  previous  century, 
the  Cumberland  Presbyterians  seemed  at  first  to  lay  greater 
stress  on  piety  and  zeal  in  the  ministry  than  on  orthodoxy  and 
learning,  time  and  experience  wrought  a  salutary  change  in 
their  policy ;  and,  as  a  happy  consequence,  we  find  the  one  like 
the  other,  by  a  singular  coincidence  of  names  fostering  their 
Princeton.  It  was  in  1827§  that  the  scheme  went  into  opera- 
tion. On  March  1st,  of  that  year,  a  chartered  Manual  Labor 
institution  was  opened  at  Princeton,  Caldwell  county,  Kentucky, 


*  Min.  Syn.,vol.  ii.,  94. 

f  "A  Brief  History  of  tlie  Rise,  Progress,  and  Termination  of  the  Proceed- 
ings of  the  Synod  of  Kentucky,  relative  to  the  late  Cumberland  Presbytery ;  in 
which  is  brought  to  view  a  brief  account  of  the  origin  and  present  standing  of 
the  people  usually  denominated  Cumberland  Presbyterians  ;  as  taken  from  offi- 
cial documents  and  facts  in  possession  of  Synod.  Published  by  order  of  Synod, 
at  their  session,  held  in  Harrodsburgh,  October,  1822.  Lexington,  Kentucky. 
Printed  by  Thomas  T.  Skillman,  1823."  pp.  29.  This  pamphlet  was  from  the 
pen  of  Dr.  Thomas  Cleland.  It  contains  much  \'aluable  information  and  shrewd 
reasoning ;  but  is  strikingly  deficient  in  that  lucid  order  which  is  desirai)le  in 
connected  accounts  of  this  kind  ;  in  which  respect  it  presents  an  unfavorable 
contrast  with  the  clear  and  perspicuous,  though  prejudiced,  narrative  of  Mr. 
Smith. 

X  The  position  occupied  by  the  Synod  at  this  period  may  be  learned  from  the 
following  extract.  "  It  is  the  opinion  of  some  that  there  is  good  and  legitimate 
ordination  among  those  of  the  self-made  Cumberland  Presbytery ;  or  as  now 
styled.  Synod.  Without  saying  anything  more  on  this  point  than  we  have  said, 
we  would  state  that,  according  to  their  documents  and  acknowledgments,  they 
cannot  be  recognized  as  any  branch  or  section  .of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  be- 
cause they  have  set  aside  some  of  the  important  doctrines  and  regulations  which 
belong  to  legitimate  ordination  in  said  Church.  If  they  have  legitimately  ordained 
ministers  among  them,  they  have  them  not  according  to  Presbyterian  rules,  and 
therefore  we  are  certainly  correct  in  disowning  them."     Brief  Hist.  p.  25,  n. 

\  1825,  says  the  Amer.  Almanac,  p.  130. 


THE    CUMBERLAND   PRESBYTERIAN    SCHISM.  259 

under  the  presidency  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Cossit,  by  the  title  of  the 
Cumberland  Presbyterian  College,  with  a  Theological  Depart- 
ment annexed.  Attached  to  it  was  a  snug  farm  of  three  hundred 
acres ;  by  laboring  on  which  two  or  three  hours  every  day,  it 
was  supposed  that  the  students  could  earn  their  board  and  tu- 
ition. The  experiment,  like  the  Manual  Labor  Schools  generally, 
popular  as  they  once  were,  has  been  a  failure  ;  proving  more  ex- 
pensive and  less  advantageous  than  was  expected.*  Finis  Sw- 
ing, true  to  his  early  prejudices,  was  not  slow  to  express  his  ap- 
prehensions that  the  possession  of  a  college  would  awaken  a  spirit 
of  pride  and  self-confidence,  and  tempt  them  to  lean  too  much 
on  the  arm  of  flesh.f  A  similar  institution  has  recently  been 
founded  in  Ohio. 

Two  years  more,  making  nineteen  since  the  organization  of 
the  first  Presbytery,  beheld,  in  the  same  village,  the  convening 
of  a  General  Assembly.  This  body  met,  for  the  first  time,  May, 
1829,  and  comprised  four  Synods,  Missouri,  Green  river,  Frank- 
lin, and  Cumberland  ;  so  much  had  the  original  seed  expanded.  J 

In  the  year  1817,  died  the  Rev.  James  McGready,  whose 
name  was  intimately  associated  with  the  early  history  of  the 
Cumberland  Presbyterians ;  and  who  is  still  venerated  by  them 
as  one  in  sentiment,  and  the  Patriarch  of  their  order. § 

Mr.  McGready's  personal  appearance  has  already  been  de- 
scribed. The  vehemence  of  his  manner  and  the  terror  of  his 
denunciations,  designated  him  not  as  a  Son  of  Consolation,  but  a 
Son  of  Thunder.  He  was  born  on  the  Monongahela,  in  West- 
ern Pennsylvania,  in  1763,  and  converted  at  a  sacramental  meet- 
ing, in  1786,  when  he  was  twenty-three  years  of  age.  He  soon 
after  directed  his  attention  to  the  ministry ;  and-  in  1792  was 
ordained  as  pastor  of  a  congregation  in  North  Carolina.  Here 
he  made  himself  extremely  unpopular  by  his  unsparing  invec- 
tives against  horse-racing,  gambling,  and  other  vices ;  and  one 
night,  "  certain  lewd  fellows  of  the  baser  sort,"  broke  into  his 
meeting-house,  tore  down  the  benches,  and  burned  the  pulpit. 
At  the  same  time  a  threatening  letter  was  addressed  him  writ- 
ten in  blood.   Nothing  daunted,  the  brave  man,  on  the  very  next 

*  Smith,  p.  649-653.  Of  late  years  it  has  been  so  reduced  as  to  meditate  a 
transfer  to  the  protecting  care  of  some  other  and  more  powerful  patrons ;  the 
Episcopal  bishop  of  Kentucky  was  at  one  time  engaged  in  negotiations  for  its 
control,  but  for  some  cause  they  were  not  consummated. 

f  Smith,  p.  663.  f  Smith,  p.  653.  J  Smith,  p.  615. 


260  THE    CUMBERLAND   PRESBYTERIAN   SCHISM. 

Sunday,  preached  as  usual,  and  gave  out  to  be  sung  the  76th 
Psalm,  part  of  which  was  very  appropriate,  '*  How  are  the  seats 
of  worship  broke  !"  &c.  The  clamor  against  him,  however,  rose 
to  such  a  height,  that  he  felt  himself  under  the  necessity  of  ex- 
changing his  charge  for  that  of  Gasper,  Muddy,  and  Red  river 
congregations,  in  the  south-western  part  of  Kentucky.  He  had 
not  been  there  very  long  before  his  searching  preaching  pro- 
duced a  powerful  effect  upon  a  people  who  were  almost  totally 
unacquainted  with  the  nature  of  vital  piety  and  experimental 
religion.  The  revival  of  1800  commenced  under  his  exertions, 
and  soon  found  in  him  an  unflinching  advocate.  In  1801,  he 
delivered  publicly  "  A  Vindication  of  the  Exercises  in  the  Re- 
vival." Although  he  headed  the  revival  party  in  the  old  Cum- 
berland Presbytery,  yet,  when  he  found  that  their  measures 
would  precipitate  a  schism,  and  draw  down  the  censures  of  the 
superior  judicatories,  he  withdrew  from  them  for  a  time,  and  at 
length  made  suitable  acknowledgments,  and  was  restored  to  his 
former  standing  in  the  old  body. 

In  the  year  1807  he  was  accused  of  fraudulent  conduct,  in  re- 
gard to  a  certain  piece  of  property  in  Russellville,  but  upon  in- 
vestigation nothing  was  found  to  his  discredit.*  A  more  serious 
difficulty  occurred  in  1810,  when  his  character  fell  under  a  dark 
cloud.  Riding  on  a  cold  day,  with  an  empty  stomach,  and  but 
recently  recovered  from  a  bilious  fever,  he  was  induced  by  a 
couple  of  wicked  men  in  company  to  drink  more  liquor  than  he 
was  able  to  bear,  and  became  shamefully  intoxicated.  He  spent 
some  weeks  in  a  state  of  anguish  almost  comparable  to  the  tor- 
ments of  the  damned,  but  at  last  had  his  peace  of  mind  restored  ; 
upon  which  he  drew  up  a  written  covenant,  binding  himself  never 
to  taste  spirituous  liquors  again,  to  prepare  for  the  press  an  earn- 
est warning  against  their  use,  to  observe,  every  month,  the  day 
of  his  fall  as  a  day  of  fasting  and  humiliation,  to  pray  thrice  a 

*  A  house  and  lot  had  been  given  by  Israel  McG  ready  to  his  favorite  niece, 
James'  third  daughter,  and  had  been  sold  by  James,  in  trust  for  her,  to  Joseph 
Ficklin,  Esq.,  in  1806.  The  creditors  of  Israel  called  it  a  fraudulent  transaction. 
Messrs.  Robertson,  Cleland  and  Rice  investijrnted  tiie  matter,  as  a  Committee  of 
Transylvania  Presbytery.  The  deposition  of  Mr.  Ficklin  is  recorded  ;  and  among 
other  testimony,  that  of  Ninian  Edv.'ards,  afterwards  Governor  of  Illinois,  giving 
Mr.  McGready  the  most  exalted  character.  The  result  was  that,  on  the  Report 
of  the  Committee,  the  Presbytery  fully  acquitted  him,  and  censured  the  late  Cum- 
berland Presbytery,  as  moved  by  ill-feeling,  to  make  "a  false, iniquitouo and  ma- 
licious representation."     Min.  Trans.  Pby.,  vol.  iii.  pp.  137-181. 


THE    CUMBERLAND    PRESBYTERIAN    SCHISM.  2G1 

day  in  secret,  and  to  maintain  a  stricter  watch  over  himself,  and 
a  closer  walk  with  God.  This  was  a  depj^rable  occurrence  in 
the  career  of  a  man  who  had  for  twenty-four  years  sustained  an 
irreproachable  character  as  a  professor  of  religion,  and  for  eight- 
een years  of  that  time  as  a  zealous  minister  of  the  Gospel ;  but 
we  cannot  doubt  the  depth  or  sincerity  of  his  repentance.  He 
published  shortly  after  the  Admonition,  and  in  it  gave  an  account 
of  his  own  mishap,  speaking  in  the  third  person.  After  this  oc- 
currence, Mr.  McGready's  influence  and  unction  in  the  pulpit 
were  never  the  same  that  they  had  been  before.  He  died  in 
Henderson  county,  whither  he  had  removed,  in  1817,  at  the  age 
of  fifty- four.  After  his  decease  the  bulk  of  his  congregation  joined 
the  Cumberland  Presbyterians.* 

In  1837,  the  Rev.  James  Smith,  editor  of  the  "  Cumberland 
Presbyterian,"  and  author  of  the  History  of  the  sect,  published 
Mr.  McGready's  '•  Posthumous  Works,"  two  volumes  in  one,  pp. 
511,  8vo.,  containing  forty-two  sermons,  a  narrative  of  the 
revival,  and  a  discourse  on  intemperance.  Many  of  the  sermons 
are  incomplete,  from  his  habit  of  delivering  the  application 
extempore.  His  applications  were  considered  interesting  and 
powerful.  His  style  was  unpolished,  but  strong  and  perspicuous. 
He  sometimes  indulged  in  bold  figures,  and  a  fastidious  taste 
would  condemn  his  exhortations  as  rant.f 


•  Smith,  p.  615. 

f  As  Mr.  McGready  acted  so  prominent  a  part,  and  his  preaching  produced 
such  striking  effects  in  the  Revival  of  1800,  it  may  not  be  amiss  to  subjoin  a 
specimen  of  his  style,  taken  from  Sermon  XIV.  which  has  been  several  times 
alluded  to  by  his  biographer.  The  text  is  Ps.  xiv.  1  :  "  The  fool  hath  said  in  his 
heart,  there  is  no  God."  It  is  entitled,  "The  Character,  History  and  End  of  the 
Fool."  The  extract  is  taken  from  the  second  part,  in  which  is  described  the  end 
of  the  fool ;  and  the  reader  must  boar  in  mind  the  terrible  looks,  tones  and  gestures 
of  the  preaciier : 

"  And,  suffice  it  to  say,  he  died  accursed  of  God,  when  his  soul  was  separated 
from  his  body,  and  the  black,  flaming  vultures  of  hell  began  to  encircle  him  on 
every  side ;  his  conscience  awoke  from  its  long  sleep,  and  roared  like  ten  thou- 
sand peals  of  thunder.  Then  all  the  horrid  crimes  of  his  past  life  stared  him  in 
his  face,  in  all  tlieir  glowing  colors  ;  then  the  remembrance  of  misimproved  ser- 
mons and  sacramental  occasions  flashed  Hke  streams  of  forked  lightning  through 
his  tortured  soul ;  then  the  reflection  that  he  had  slighted  tlie  mercy  and  blood  of 
the  Son  of  God — that  he  had  despi.sed  and  rejected  him — was  like  a  poisoned  ar- 
row piercing  his  heart.  When  the  fiends  of  hell  dragged  him  into  the  infernal 
gulf,  he  roared  and  screamed  and  yelled  like  a  devil !  When,  while  Indians, 
Pagans  and  Mahometans  stood  amazed  and  upbraided  him,  falling,  like  Lucifer, 
from  the  meridian  blaze  of  the  Gospel  and  the  threshold  of  heaven,  sinking  into 
the  liquid,  boiling  waves  of  hell,  and  accursed  sinners  of  Tyre  and  Sidon,  and 


262  THE    CUxMBERLAND    PRESBYTERIAN    SCHISM. 

His  orthodoxy  is  apparent  from  his  clear  acknowledgments 
and  vindication  of  the  doctrines  of  Imputation,  the  Federal  Head- 
ship of  Christ,  Election,  the  Agency  of  the  Spirit  in  the  Xew 
Birth,  and  the  Impotency  of  Moral  Suasion.  In  his  defence  of 
Election  he  says  :  "  These  things  I  read  in  my  Bible,  and  I  have 
no  authority  to  take  them  out.  Some  people  tell  us  this  doctrine 
is  from  hell ;  if  so,  the  Bible  is  from  hell,  for  it  is  full  of  it."* 

The  Rev.  William  Hodge  was  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  and 
was  converted  when  somewhat  advanced  in  life.  He  was  poor, 
and  had  a  wife  and  children,  but,  notwithstanding,  he  w^ent  thirty 
miles  to  attend  Dr.  Caldwell's  school,  in  the  Hawfield  congrega- 
tion, Guilford  county ;  a  step  which  exposed  him  to  much  cen- 
sure. He  was  licensed  to  preach  in  1790,  and  soon  after  was 
called  to  succeed  Mr.  Debo,  at  Hawfield,  where  a  revival  fol- 
lowed his  labors.  In  the  spring  of  1800,  he  w^as  called  to  succeed 
Mr.  McGee,  at  Shiloh,  in  the  Cumberland  settlements,  Sumner 
county,  Tennessee.     Here  his  preaching  produced  a  stir,  and  two 


Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  sprang  to  the  right  and  left,  and  made  wa)'  for  him  to  pass 
them  and  full  lower  down,  even  to  the  deepest  cavern  in  the  flaming  abyss — liere 
his  conscience,  like  a  never-dying  worm,  stings  him,  and  forever  gnaws  his  sonl : 
and  the  slighted  blood  of  the  Son  of  God  communicates  ten  thousand  hells  in 
one  !  Now,  through  the  blazing  flames  of  hell,  he  sees  that  heaven  he  has  lost — 
that  exceeding  great  and  eternal  weight  of  glory  he  has  sold  for  the  devil's  pot- 
tage !  In  those  ptire  regions  he  sees  his  father  or  mother,  his  sisters  or  brothers, 
and  those  persons  who  sat  under  the  same  means  of  grace  with  him,  and  whom 
he  derided  as  fools,  fenatics  and  hypocrites.  They  are  far  beyond  the  impassable 
gulf;  they  shine  brighter  than  the  sun  when  he  shineth  in  his  strength,  and  walk 
tiie  golden  streets  of  the  new  Jerusalem ;  but  he  is  lost,  and  damned  forever  ! 

'•  The  last  thing  we  sliall  mention  in  the  history  of  the  fool  is,  when  he  lifted 
up  his  eyes  in  hell  he  found  a  dictionary  explaining  the  meaning  of  all  the  pro- 
fane language  he  used  during  his  life.  Now  he  perfectly  understands  tlie  mean- 
ing of  those  words  he  was  in  the  habit  of  using  in  this  world,  without  ever  re- 
flecting on  their  signification.  Such  expressions  as  the  following  were  very 
common  with  the  fool  in  this  life  :  '  Fll  be  damned  ;  God  damn  his  soul,  if  it  was 
not  so  and  so.'  Now  the  fool  perfectly  understands  the  meaning  of  these  terms, 
in  all  their  horrid  emphasis — for  God  has  heard,  and  answered,  his  prayer :  he 
has  damned  his  soul  in  hell !  He  could  now  tell  you  that  the  dreadful  meaning 
of  these  words  frighted  the  stoutest  devils,  and  fills  all  the  flaming  vaults  of  hell 
with  the  most  hideous  shrieks  and  yells !  In  this  life,  when  the  fool  was  offended 
at  any  one,  his  common  phrase  was,  such  a  one  is  a  damned  fool.  Now  he  per- 
fectly understands  the  meaning  of  the  phrase.  When  he  surveys  his  life,  and 
reflects  on  the  many  offers  of  salvation  he  refused ;  the  manner  in  which  he  mis- 
spent his  precious  time,  and  misimproved  all  the  means  of  grace ;  he  is  con- 
strained to  confess  that  he  is,  emphatically,  a  fool — a  damned  fool — for  he  is 
damned  in  hell  forever  and  ever !" — Posth.  Works,  p.  149. 

*  Sermon  XXIIl.  Posth.  Works,  p.  238. 


THE    CUMBERLAND    PRESBYTERIAN    SCHISM.  263 

parties  sprang  up — Revival  and  Anti-Revival.  The  latter  took 
possession  of  the  church,  and  closed  the  doors  against  him.  The 
matter  was  brought  before  the  Presbytery,  who  decided  in  his  favor. 
The  other  party  then  drew  off,  and  called  the  Rev.  Thos.  B.  Craig- 
head to  be  their  pastor.  Mr.  Ilodgc  was  only  second  to  Mr.  Mc- 
Gready  in  promoting  the  Revival  of  1 800,  though  his  character  was 
completely  his  reverse,  being  a  son  ofconsolation.  Mr.  Hodge  final- 
ly returned  to  the  "  Old  Presbyterians,"  as  they  are  generally  styled 
by  way  of  distinction.  Neither  he  nor  Mr.  McGready  dreamed 
of  a  final  separation,  and  were  startled  to  find  to  what  hazard 
they  had  exposed  themselves.  In  consequence  of  difficulties  at 
Shiloh,  he  resigned  the  charge  in  1818,  and  died  a  year  or  two 
afterward.* 

The  Rev.  William  McGee  was  born  in  Randolph  county, 
North  Carolina,  and  was  converted  in  a  revival  under  Mr.  Mc- 
Gready's  preaching.  He  was  licensed  to  preach  in  1792,  and 
took  charge  of  Shiloh,  in  Tennessee,  two  years  afterward.  He 
was  a  very  zealous  and  animated  preacher,  and  wielded  the 
curses  of  Sinai  with  great  power.  He  would  sometimes  exhort 
after  sermon,  standing  on  the  floor,  or  sitting  or  lying  in  the  dust, 
his  eyes  streaming,  and  his  heart  so  full,  that  he  could  only  eja- 
culate, "  Jesus  !  Jesus  !"  He  insisted  on  every  one's  giving  a 
satisfactory  account  of  his  religious  exercises,  and  where  and 
when  he  was  converted.  His  elders  being  of  different  views 
from  himself,  he  resigned,  and  took  charge  of  Beech  and  Ridge 
societies.  In  the  Revival  of  1800  he  bore  a  leading  part.  When 
the  difficulties  arose,  he  was  much  perplexed  to  reconcile  Calvin- 
ism and  Arminianism,  and  was  for  a  time  in  great  distress  of 
mind  to  know  with  whom  he  should  cast  in  his  lot ;  but  at  last, 
having  settled  his  theological  system  to  his  satisfaction,  joined  the 
new  Cumberland  Presbytery.     He  died  in  1814. 

*  Smith,  pp.  667,  668. 


CHAPTER    X. 


CRAIGHEAD    AMD    PELAGIANISM. 

During  the  progress  of  the  schism  of  the  Cumberland  Presby- 
terians, there  was  another  troublesome  case  which  attracted 
considerable  attention,  though  happily  it  was  not  attended  by  as 
extensive  or  as  disastrous  consequences.  This  was  the  trial  of 
the  Rev.  Thomas  B.  Craighead  for  Pelagianism. 

Mr.  Craighead  came  legitimately  by  both  his  latitudinarian 
tenets  and  his  opinionated  disposition,  being  the  son  of  Alexander 
Craighead,  a  leading  member  of  the  New  Side,  suspended  by 
the  Presbytery  of  New  Brunswick  in  1741,  for  contumaciously 
declining  their  jurisdiction.*  Thomas  was  born  at  Sugar  Creek, 
in  North  Carolina,  where  his  father  had  organized  a  congrega- 
gation  in  1757,f  and  where,  in  1766,  he  died.  He  graduated  at 
Nassau  Hall,  in  1775;  was  ordained  in  1780  by  the  Presby- 
tery of  Orange ;  and  preached  for  some  time  to  his  father's  late 
congregation.  Shortly  after,  he  married  the  daughter  of  the 
Rev.  John  Brown,  of  Virginia,  and  turned  his  steps  to  Kentucky.  J 

Upon  the  division  of  the  congregation  of  Shiloh,  in  Sumner 
county,  Tennessee,  Mr.  Craighead  was  invited  to  preach  to  the 
portion  that  separated.  Shiloh  had  been  under  the  care  of  the 
Rev.  William  Hodge,  whose  fiery  proceedings  had  rent  the  peo- 
ple into  two  factions,  Revival,  and  Anti-Revival  or  Orthodox ; 
the  former  sustaining  their  pastor,  the  latter  opposing  him  with 
such  virulence  as  to  close  the  church  doors  against  him.     Being 


*  Records  of  the  Presb.  Church,  pp.  154,  157. 
t  MS.  Hist,  of  Sugar  Creek  Church. 
j  Presb.  vol.  xv.  p.  37. 


CRAIGHEAD   AND   PELAGIANISM.  266 

censured  for  their  conduct  by  the  Presbytery,  this  last  party 
withdrew,  and  formed  a  distinct  society,  which  they  called  "  the 
Orderly  part  of  Shiloh  congregation,"  and  called  Mr.  Craighead 
to  be  their  minister.*  It  was  not  long,  however,  before  his  new 
situation  became  very  unpleasant,  his  elders  and  most  of  the 
people  deserting  him,  few  attending  his  ministrations,  and  he 
himself  being  treated  with  neglect,  partly  on  account  of  his 
being  suspected  of  holding  Pelagian  tenets,  and  partly  on  account 
of  his  opposition  to  the  popular  extravagances  of  the  times.f 
Rumors  of  his  erroneous  sentiments  having  reached  the  ears  of 
the  Synod,  the  Commission  that  met  at  Gasper  river  in  1805, 
were  charged  to  investigate  the  correctness  of  the  report. 

Accordingly,  after  disposing  of  the  Cumberland  difficulties,  on 
the  10th  day  of  December,  1805,  the  Commission  proceeded  to 
examine  Mr.  Craighead.  Thirty-one  questions  were  submitted 
to  him  in  writing,  touching  Predestination,  Foreknowledge, 
Good  Works,  the  Perseverance  of  the  Saints,  the  co-operation 
of  the  Word  and  Spirit,  and  the  Special  Influences  of  the  Holy 
Ghost.  His  answers  were  decided  to  be  agreeable  to  the  Con- 
fession of  Faith,  a  few  excepted,  that  were  deemed  ambiguous 
and  unsatisfactory.^  In  this  examination,  Mr.  Craighead  un- 
equivocally declared  his  belief  that  there  was  a  supernatural 
operation  ;  that  the  Spirit  did  not  operate  independently  of,  but 
by  and  with  the  Word ;  that  the  Word  was  inefficacious  without 
the  Spirit ;  that  Faith  was  a  grace,  produced  by  the  power  of 
God  upon  the  mind ;  that  God  could  operate  on  the  mind  of  the 
creature  without  the  Word  ;  and  that  God  did  not  work  equally 
on  all  who  heard  the  Word.§ 

The  matter  rested  here  until  the  meeting  of  Synod  at  Lexing- 
ton the  year  following,  (Oct.  27,  1806,)  when  Mr.  Craighead 
preached  a  sermon  which  produced  a  great  excitement,  as  con- 
tradictory to  the  doctrines  of  the  Church,  and  to  his  own  record- 
ed answers  to  the  Commission.     In  this  discourse  he  affirmed 


*  Smith,  p.  667. 

t  Lylo's  Narr  p.  30. 

{  Min.  iSyn.  vol.  i.  p.  98  "  His  answers  were  agreeable  to  the  Confession, 
except  a  few  expressed  ambiguoii.=;ly,  &c.,  with  which  the  Commission  were  not 
entirely  satisfied.  Observation  and  experience  have  taught  me  not  to  be  fond  of 
allowing  men  in  such  examinations,  to  be  their  own  witnesses."  Lyle's  Tour, 
p.  64. 

§  Min.  Syn.  vol.  i.  pp.  102,  103. 


266  CRAIGHEAD   AND   PELAGIANISM. 

that  there  had  been  two  disthict  operations  of  the  Spirit  in  the 
time  of  the  Apostles :  one  miraculous,  the  other  illuminating.  The 
first  was  soon  withdrawn,  and  the  second  was  superseded,  or 
rendered  unnecessary,  by  the  written  word  upon  the  completion 
of  the  canon.  This  Word  possessed  paramount  authority,  for 
the  Spirits  were  to  be  tried  by  it.  He  was  understood  to  reject 
any  influence,  operation,  or  energy  of  the  Spirit  in  or  upon  the 
mind,  to  dispose  it  to  good.  The  action  of  the  Word  is  the  only 
operative  principle,  and  has  all  the  force  that  can  be  or  is  em- 
ployed. He  alleged  that  the  soul  is  passive,  in  the  same  sense 
that  the  eye  is  passive  to  the  rays  of  light ;  and  as  nothing  is 
necessary  but  the  opening  of  the  eye  to  admit  light,  so  nothing  is 
necessary  but  the  attention  of  the  mind  to  the  Word  ;  by  which 
attention  the  mind  becomes  as  susceptible  of  regeneration  and 
faith,  as  the  eye  is  susceptible  of  the  images  of  objects  when  the 
light  is  let  in  upon  it.* 

This  sermon  was  promptly  brought  before  the  notice  of  the 
Synod  the  next  day,  through  the  Committee  of  Bills  and  Over- 
tureSjt  and  a  discussion  ensued  thereon.  Mr.  Craighead  was 
permitted  to  offer  explanations ;  notwithstanding  which,  how- 
ever, it  was  the  opinion  of  the  Synod  that  he  had  expressed  sen- 
timents in  his  sermon  inconsistent  with  the  doctrine  of  the  Con- 
fession upon  the  subject  of  Divine  influence.^ 

Mr.  Craighead  was  permitted  to  enter  an  Explanation  on  the 
minutes ;  but  the  Explanation  failing  to  be  entirely  satisfactory, 
the  Synod,  after  expressing  their  regret  for  the  necessity,  adopt- 
ed the  following  resolution,  viz :  "  That  the  Rev.  Thos.  B. 
Craighead  be  entreated,  and  he  is  hereby  earnestly  entreated,  to 
be  cautious  in  future,  as  to  the  matter  of  his  sermons,  and  care- 
ful not  to  offend  against  the  doctrines  of  the  Confession  of  Faith 
and  the  feelings  of  his  Christian  brethren  ;  and  that  the  Modera- 
tor be  directed  to  read  this  minute  to  Mr.  Craighead." 

This  admonition  was  wholly  fruitless,  indeed  its  leniency  was 
no  doubt  misconstrued  into  weakness,  for  about  three  years  after- 
ward, at  the  request  of  certain  citizens  of  Lexington,§  and  puffed 


*  Min.  Syn.  vol.  i.  pp.  127-130. 

t  Of  this  Committee,  strange  to  say,  Mr.  Craighead  happened  to  be  Chairman ; 
an  honor  which  marks  his  standing  in  the  body.     Min.  Syn.  vol.  i»p.  122. 
I  Mill.  Syn.  vol.  i.  p.  123. 
§  Dedication  to  the  Sermon. 


CRAIGHEAD   AND   PELAGIANISM. 


267 


up  by  his  reputation  for  eloquence,  Mr.  Craighead  pubhshed  his 
Sermon  on  Regeneration,  with  an  insulting  Address  to  the 
Synod,  and  an  Appendix.  The  Sermon  filled  54  pages  octavo. 
It  was  not  printed  as  delivered,  having  been  originail}«extempo- 
raneous,  and  being  now  made  designedly  less  devotional  and 
more  argumentative.*  The  text  was  John  iii.  3 :  "  Except  a 
man  be  born  again,  he  cannot  see  the  kingdom  of  God ;"  but 
almost  any  other  motto  might  have  served  as  well. 

The  preacher  pompously  announced  his  purpose  to  open  a 
treaty  in  the  name  of  God  Almighty,  to  settle  the  preliminaries 
and  state  the  terms.  •  There  was  not  the  slightest  recognition  of 
the  Calvinistic  doctrine,  that  the  Covenant  was  made  with  Christ 
for  his  people  as  a  public  person,  instead  of  mankind  individually  ; 
but  the  contrary  was  plainly  inferrible. 

To  furnish  an  abstract  of  a  discourse  of  such  length,  everv 
page  of  which  teemed  with  objectionable  matter,  and  the  style 
of  which  was  as  amplified  and  obscure  as  its  method  was  intri- 
cate and  confused,  will  not  be  expected.  Suffice  it  to  say,  that 
the  author  took  continual  occasion  to  rail  at  every  distinctive 
tenet  of  Calvinism,  without  any  attempt  at  concealment  other 
than  was  caused  by  his  own  vague  and  misty  languao-e.  He 
sneered,  as  bitterly  as  any  infidel  could  do,  at  the  doctrines  of 
Election,!  Special  Grace,J  and  the  immediate  influence  of  the 
Spirit,  which  he  called  "  a  Spirit  without  credentials."§  He  took 
the  ground,  (which  Warburton  had  taken  before  him,||)  that  we 
are  in  a  different  situation  from  the  apostles  and  early  disciples. 
They  enjoyed  the  immediate  guidance  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  in  the 
absence  of  written  records  ;  but  since  the  completion  of  the 
Canon  of  Scripture,  that  guidance  has  been  withdrawn,  and  we 
are  left  solely  to  the  written  Word.  The  Spirit  in  the  Word  is 
the  sole  cause  of  faith  and  sanctification.  There  can  be  no  in- 
tellectual effects  produced  on  the  mind  except  by  thoughts  or 
ideas  expressed  in  words.  Any  other  opinion  he  pronounced 
enthusiastic.     All  moral  attraction  consists  in  motives.^! 

Believing  is  an  intellectual,  not  a  moral  act ;  it  is  irresistibly 
dependent  on  testimony,  and  never  independent  or  voluntary. 
Faith  is  necessarily  a  mediate  gift ;  the  testimony,  not  the  dispo- 


*  Address,  p.  55.  f  Sermon,  pp.  27,  46. 

t  Ibid.  pp.  24, 26.  ^  Sermon,  pp.  35,  37. 

II  Doctrine  of  Grace,  p.  93.  IT  Sermon,  pp.  3,  5,  9,  11,  27. 


2G8  CRAIGHEAD  AND    PELAGIANISM. 

sition  to  believe,  being  supplied  from  heaven.  A  divine  faith  is 
believing  on  the  testimony  of  God.  A  man  can  no  more  resist 
the  force  of  the  divine  truth  of  God,  if  he  suffers  it  to  enter  his 
intellectual  eye,  than  he  can  prevent  his  natural  eye  from  seeing, 
when  natural  light  enters  into  it.  There  is  no  new  sense,  per- 
ception, disposition  or  taste,  serving  as  the  root  of  holiness  ;  and 
to  expect  it,  would  be  as  absurd  as  a  law  requiring  us  to  taste 
sweetness  in  honey  ;  the  mind  being  always  naturally  influenced 
by  the  greatest  good.* 

He  heaped  no  less  ridicule  on  the  idea  of  praying  for  faith. 
The  examples  of  such  prayers  in  Scripture  were  instances  of  the 
faith  of  miracles ;  and  our  Lord  treated  them  as  words  without 
meaning.  Christ's  manner  of  preaching  differed  from  the  modern 
current  cant :  "  Pray  to  God  to  give  you  faith  to  believe.  Pray, 
pray,  strive,  agonize,  wait  on,  till  Christ  comes  and  delivers  you."t 

The  above  may  serve  as  a  meagre  specimen  of  the  erroneous 
sentiments  contained  in  Mr.  Craighead's  sermon.  In  the  Ap- 
pendix, he  went  into  what  he  meant  for  a  profound  disquisition 
on  the  vexed  question  of  Necessity,  and  canvassed  at  length  the 
positions  of  President  Edwards  in  his  treatise  on  the  Will,  and 
Dr.  Miller  in  his  Retrospect  of  the  Eighteenth  Century.  These 
views  he  attempted  to  caricature,  by  putting  a  prayer  in  the 
mouth  of  a  Necessitarian,  which  might  have  formed  a  suitable 
counterpart  to  that  blasphemous  effusion  of  Burns,  entitled  Holy 
Willie's  Prayer.J 

This  publication  Mr.  Craighead,  no  doubt,  supposed  would 
produce  no  less  consternation  among  the  Synod  than  a  bomb 
falling  in  the  midst  of  an  enemy's  camp  ;  but  the  effect  was  very 
limited.  Some  of  his  admirers,  indeed,  ill-indoctrinated,  and 
captivated  by  his  sophistries,  loudly  extolled  it  as  the  mirror  of 
truth,  and  a  pattern  of  argumentative  eloquence.  By  the  New 
Lights,  and  other  enemies  of  evangelical  truth,  its  appearance 
was  hailed  with  exultation,  as  a  new  ally.  These  persons  affect- 
ed to  ridicule  the  Synod  as  men  of  small  intellects,  destitute  of 
talents,  too  imbecile  to  dare  to  take  an  attitude  of  opposition, 
twinkling  tapers,  eclipsed  by  so  great  a  luminary.§ 


*  Sermon,  pp.  21,  22, 26,  16.  f  Ibid.  pp.  15, 19,  20,  24. 

I  Appendix,  p.  86. 

§  Campbell's  Lett,  to  Craighead,  Pref.  p.  iii. 


CRAIGHEAD   AND   PELAGIANISM. 


269 


Under  these  circumstances,  Dr.  John  P.  Campbell  felt  it  his 
duty  to  come  forward  in  vindication  of  the  Synod  and  the 
Standards  of  the  Church.  This  he  did  in  a  series  of  five  Letters 
to  Mr.  Craighead,  written  in  the  spring  of  1810.*  In  the  Intro- 
duction, Dr.  Campbell  paid  a  handsome  tribute  to  Mr.  Craighead's 
uncommon  talents  as  an  extemporaneous  orator,  while  with  a 
delicate  vein  of  satire  he  touched  on  his  fondness  for  metaphysi- 
cal disquisitions,  for  which  he  had  neither  the  necessary  coolness, 
patience,  nor  compactness  of  thought.  '*  You  are  no  Locke,"  said 
he;  "you  are  no  Edwards;  you  are  no  Butler;  but  you  are 
capable  of  being  w^hat  I  should  covet  a  thousand  times  more,  a 
Massillon  or  a  Bridaine.  No,  sii-,  you  have  too  much  fire,  too 
much  velocity,  too  much  impatience,  for  metaphysics.  You  can 
manage  a  metaphor  infinitely  better  than  a  syllogism ;  you  can 
shape  a  flight  on  fancy's  burnished  wing  with  more  ease  than 
scale  the  proud  heights  of  speculative  philosophy.  It  is  the  sub- 
lime of  eloquence,  and  not  the  elevation  of  metaphysical  theology, 
to  which  you  ought  to  aspire.  Oh  !  what  might  you  not  be  under 
such  circumstances  as  I  could  wish."f 

Dr.  Campbell  then  proceeded  to  expose  Mr.  Craighead's  erro- 
neous views  OK  the  great  subjects  of  the  true  root  of  the  enmity 
of  the  human  heart  to  God ;  the  nature  of  regeneration,  or  the 
new  birth;  saving  faith;  the  immediate  agency  of  the  Spirit  on 
the  heart,  as  well  as  through  the  Word  ;  the  doctrine  of  Neces- 
sity and  Liberty ;  man's  responsibihty ;  and  his  inability  in  an 
unregenerate  state.  On  all  these  points,  he  clearly  set  forth 
tlie  doctrinal  views  of  the  Synod,  by  a  copious  reference  to  the 
Scriptures  and  the  standard  writers  of  the  Reformation ;  and 
closed  with  presenting  five  fatal  objections  to  the  new  scheme  of 
religion.  These  were,  that  it  was  throughout  selfish ;  that  it 
subverted  the  great  doctrine  of  the  ministration  of  the  Holy 
Spirit ;  that  it  robbed  God  of  his  glory  by  ascribing  too  much 
to  human  agency ;  that  it  rendered  prayer  useless,  the  decrees 
and  prophecies  doubtful,  and  capable  of  frustration  ;  and  that  it 


*  "  Several  Ijctters  addressed  to  the  Rev.  T.  B.  Craighead,  in  answer  to  a 
pamphlet  published  by  him,  containing  a  Sermon  on  Regeneration,  an  Address 
to  the  Synod  of  Kentucky,  and  an  Appendix.  By  Jolm  P.  Campbell.  Lexing- 
ton, Ky.     Printed  by  Thomas  Smith,  ["or  the  Author,  1810."     pp.  194,  8vo. 

t  Letter  to  Craighead,  p.  8. 

18 


k 


270  CRAIGHEAD   AND  PELAGIAN!  SM. 

cut  off  the  greater  part  of  Christ's  work,  as  a  risen,  reigning,  and 
controlling  Mediator. 

This  work,  written  as  it  was  with  a  clear  and  vigorous  logic, 
and  in  an  attractive  style,  had  a  prodigious  effect.  Its  currency 
was  rapid,  and  its  popularity  extensive.  Beneath  the  ponderous 
blow  Mr.  Craighead  was  for  a  while  completely  stunned ;  he 
reeled  and  staggered  ;  and  when  at  length  he  recovered  his 
faculties,  he  dealt  his  strokes  with  the  blind  fury  of  a  madman. 
It  was  not  till  nearly  a  year  had  elapsed  that  he  rallied  himself 
sufficiently  to  reply,  in  an  inconsiderable  pamphlet.*  In  ten  let- 
ters to  Dr.  Campbell,  he  ran  over  his  former  ground,  but  with 
still  more  incoherence,  repetition  and  obscurity.  In  short,  it  was 
at  once  a  feeble  and  a  bitter  production,  totally  destitute  of  dig- 
nity, system,  ability,  or  literary  merit.  As  if  forced  to  abandon 
his  former  positions  as  untenable,  he  vented  his  mortification  in 
spiteful  tirades  against  Calvinism,  and  the  disingenuousness  of  its 
advocate. 

This  brought  Dr.  Campbell  promptly  into  the  field  again.  He 
published  a  review  of  Mr.  Craighead's  letters,  under  the  title  of 
"  The  Pelagian  Detected  ;"t  which,  though  forcible  and  impres- 
sive, bore  evident  marks  of  haste.  He  still  further  strengthened 
his  cause  by  an  array  of  authorities  ;  exposed  the  palpable  mis- 
quotations and  misrepresentations  of  his  antagonist ;  and  com- 
pletely exploded  any  remaining  pretension  Mr.  Craighead  might 
set  up  as  the  true  interpreter  of  the  Westminster  Confession. 

Mr.  Craighead  had  attempted  to  throw  odium  upon  orthodox 
Presbyterians,  by  insinuating  that  their  tenets  of  "  immediate 
agency  and  sensible  feelings  of  the  mighty  power  of  God  in  the 
soul,"  were  "near  akin"  to  Shakerism,  and  had  contributed  to 
foster  it.  J  Dr.  Campbell  undertook  to  show  that,  so  far  from 
this  being  the  case,  not  only  did  the  Shakers  disclaim  "  immediate 
agency,"  but  that  there  was  a  perfect  agreement  between  their 
views  and  Mr.  Craighead's  on  Divine  sovereignty,  the  Word, 


*  "  Letters  to  the  Rev.  J.  P.  Campbell,  occasioned  by  his  Letters  to  the  Au- 
thor, containing  some  original  disquisitions,  philosophical,  moral  and  religious. 
By  T.  B.  Craighead,  A.B.,  V.D.M.  Nashville,  Tennessee.  Printed  by  Thomas 
Grayson  Bradford,  Marl^et-street,  May,  1811."     pp.  88,  12mo. 

f  "  The  Pelagian  Detected ;  or,  a  Review  of  Mr.  Craighead's  Letters ;  ad- 
dressed to  the  Public  and  the  Author.  By  John  P.  Campbell.  Lexington. 
Thomas  T.  Skiliman,  1811."     pp.  80,  8vo. 

X  Craighead's  Letter.s,  p.  42. 


CRAIGHEAD   AND   PELAGIANISM.  27 j 

Spiritual  influence,  faith,  and  regeneration ;  as  was  made  dis- 
tinctly obvious  by  a  comparison  in  parallel  columns. 

But  not  content  with  this.  Dr.  Campbell  advanced  a  yet  graver 
charge,  at  which  he  had  darkly  hinted  before,  but  of  which  he 
now  exhibited  the  proofs :  that  New  Lightism  and  Shakerism 
were  clearly  traceable  to  the  paternity  of  Mr.  Craighead.  It 
was  made  to  appear  that  Barton  W.  Stone  had  visited  him  in 
1799  or  1800,  and  had  then  imbibed  his  peculiar  views,  which  he 
afterward  industriously  disseminated,  and  with  which  he  in- 
oculated McNemar  and  Dunlavy.  These  facts  were  incontesta- 
bly  substantiated  by  certificates  signed  by  Dr.  Thomas  Donnell, 
and  Elders  Samuel  M.  Waugh,  William  Thompson,  Samuel  Don- 
nell, and  John  Hopkins,  as  well  as  by  Dr.  Campbell's  own  per- 
sonal recollection  of  conversations  held  with  Mr.  Stone  by  him- 
self.* That  Mr.  Craighead  had  led  Houston  astray  was  also 
shown  from  certificates  signed  by  the  Rev.  S.  B.  Robertson  and 
Rev.  John  Lyle,  testifying  to  what  they  had  heard  from  Houston's 
own  mouth,  t 

In  1803,  Stone  and  his  followers  drew  oflf;  but  they  had  been 
for  two  or  three  years  preaching,  at  first  with  reserve,  after- 
ward more  boldly,  Mr.  Craighead's  distinguishing  doctrines, 
ridiculing  the  immediate  agency  of  the  Spirit,  and  denying  any 
other  regeneration  than  by  faith  in  the  Word.  J  A  reference  to 
their  views  as  detailed  in  the  Apology  of  the  Springfield  Pres- 
bytery would  fully  establish  the  identity  of  doctrine.  Let 
it  be  borne  in  mind  that  within  three  years  from  this  time  Hous- 
ton, McNemar,  Dunlavy,  Malcolm  Worley,  and  John  Woods 
(who  had  run  through  the  streets  of  Danville  in  a  state  of  nudity 
crying,  "  Wo  !  wo  !  to  the  inhabitants  of  this  town  !"§)  were 
proselyted  to  the  Shakers,  and  became  the  most  zealous  and 
successful  agents  in  entrapping  others.  It  need  only  be  added 
that  it  was  from  the  New  Light  party  almost  exclusively  that 
the  Shakers  drew  their  proselytes. || 


*  Pelajrian  Detected,  pp.  57-63.  t  Ibid.  pp.  63,  64. 

J  Mr.  McNf^mar  was  in  the  habit  of  sneerino-  at  these  doctrines  in  the  follow- 
ing low  manner  in  his  sermons  :  '■  Does  the  spirit  creep  in  through  the  sjide  or 
breast,  or  how  docs  it  obtain  access  to  the  heart?"  Certificate  of  Mr.  Hopkins. 
Pel.  Det.  p.  63. 

5  Pel.  Dot.  note,  p.  GG.  II  Ibid.  p.  65. 


272  CRAIGHEAD   AND   PELAGIANISM. 

Such  stubborn  facts  us  these  proved  convincingly  the  utter 
falsity  of  Mr.  Craighead's  cakimnies,  and  made  them  recoil  upon 
his  owrn  head  with  overwhelming  force.  He  was  shown  to  be 
the  great  day-spring  of  the  New  Light  which  had  shed  its  bale- 
ful beams  upon  the  West.  As  the  Reviewer  justly  said,  "  there 
never  would  have  been  a  Shaker  in  our  country,  [meaning  the 
Western  country,]  had  there  never  been  a  Craighead."* 

These  powerful  pamphlets,  with  the  ecclesiastical  censures 
which  about  the  same  time  fell  on  Mr.  Craighead,  absolutely  an- 
nihilated him.     He  never  was  able  to  lift  up  his  head  afterward. 

In  the  month  of  April,  1810,  the  Presbytery  of  Transylvania 
felt  it  to  be  their  duty  to  take  notice  of  the  published  sermon  on 
Regeneration,  and  cited  its  author  to  their  bar  in  June  ;  and  as 
he  failed  to  appear  then,  renewed  the  citation  for  October  4th. 
At  that  meeting,  in  Danville,  he  was  again  absent,  but  sent  two 
letters,  excusing  himself  for  not  complying  with  either  of  the 
citations.  The  Presbytery  deemed  his  reasons  unsatisfactory, 
and  proceeded,  without  further  delay,  to  trial,  upon  the  following 
charges,  viz  : 

1.  Denying  and  vilifying  the  real  agency  of  the  Spirit  in  re- 
generation, and  in  the  production  of  faith  and  sanctification  in 
general. 

2.  Denying,  vilifying,  and  misrepresenting  the  doctrines  of 
Divine  foreordination,  sovereignty,  and  election. 

3.  Denying  and  vilifying  the  doctrine  of  love  to  God  and  his 
law  from  a  principle  of  Virtue  in  the  heart,  and  teaching  that 
the  selfish  principle  of  intellect  produces  Christian  obedience 
which  is  acceptable  to  God. 

4.  Perverting  the  doctrine  of  faith,  in  destroying  the  differ- 
ence between  an  evangelical  faith  and  that  which  devils  and 
wicked  men  may  have  of  Divine  realities. 


*  Pel.  Det.  p.  67.  See  also  Dr.  C.'s  letter  to  Dr.  Alexander,  of  Jan.  10,  181 L 
Prot.  and  Her.,  vol.  x.  No.  37.  "  This  man  has  been  the  prime  mover  of  all  the 
disturbances  of  the  West.  I  have  documents  in  my  possession  to  prove  that 
he  debauched  the  minds  of  Stone  and  Houston.  Stone  seduced  McNemar — 
Mr.  McNemar  infected  Dunlavy.  It  was  a  joint  effort  of  all  these  that  operated 
on  the  minds  of  Marshall  and  Thompson.  These  men  were  the  puppets  played 
off  by  the  chief  juggler  behind  the  curtain.  Mr.  C.  is  really  an  interesting  man  ; 
his  talents  plausible  and  his  manners  prepossessing.  As  a  man,  I  sincerely  love 
and  respect  him  ;  but  as  a  preacher,  I  really  think  of  him  only  as  a  pest,  and 
view  him  as  the  parent  of  all  the  New  Lightism,  schism,  and  Shakerism,  which 
has  cursed  our  country." 


CRAIGHEAD    AND   PELAGIANISM.  273 

5.  Perverting,  abusing,  and  misstating  the  definitions,  descrip- 
tions, and  real  sentiments,  of  the  preachers  and  writers  of  our 
connections  upon  the  subjects  of  faith  and  regeneration. 

6.  Giving  a  false  coloring  to  facts  which  transpired  in  Synod 
and  the  Commission  of  Synod. 

After  mature  deliberation,  examination  of  references,  and  oral 
testimony,  the  Presbytery  considered  all  the  charges  sufficiently 
established,  and  adjudged  Mr.  Craighead  to  be  worthy  of  sus- 
pension, but  agreed  to  refer  the  decision  to  the  ensuing  Synod.* 

The  Synod  took  up  this  reference  at  their  meeting  a  few 
days  afterward,  (October  13th,)  and  after  approving  the  prompt- 
ness of  the  Presbytery  in  preparing  the  business  for  a  speedy 
issue,  concurred  in  opinion  as  to  the  merits  of  the  casef  and 
pronounced  sentence  of  suspension  from  the  office  of  the  Gospel 
ministry.  Mr.  Craighead  was  further  required  to  appear  before 
his  proper  Presbytery  at  their  next  session,  and  there  make  a 
solemn  recantation  of  his  errors ;  failing  to  do  which,  the  Pres- 
bytery were  directed  to  depose  him  without  delay.f  The  new 
Presbytery  of  Muhlenburg  being  now  erected  out  of  Transyl- 
vania, and  Mr.  Craighead  falling  within  their  bounds,  the  con- 
sideration of  his  case  was  transferred  to  them  ;  J  and  accordingly, 
as  Mr.  Craighead  continued  to  preach  notwithstanding  his  sus- 
pension, and  refused  to  obey  the  citation  to  appear  before  them, 
they  proceeded,  on  the  2d  of  April,  1811,  to  pronounce  final 
sentence  of  deposition  upon  him.§ 

Mr.  Craighead  appealed  to  the  General  Assembly  of  1811, 
from  the  decision  of  Synod,  but  not  prosecuting  it,  the  Commis- 
sioners of  Synod  had  leave,  on  the  last  day  of  the  Sessions,  to 
enter  their  protest,  thus  barring  any  future  appeal,  and  making 
the  judgment  final. || 

After  this  he  made  several  ineffectual  attempts  to  be  restored. 
In  1812  he  applied  to  Synod  for  a  new  trial,  which  was  not 
granted,  but  an  appropriate  letter  was  written  him.Tl  In  1815 
he  took  an  appeal  to  the  General  Assembly,  but  they  confirmed 

*  Mill.  Trans.  Pbv.  vol.  iii.  pp.  252,  273. 
f  Min.  Syn.  vol.  i".  pp.  180,  181. 

I  Min.  Syn.  vol.  i.  p.  193. 

5  MS.  e.xtract  of  the  minutes  of  Muhl.  Pby.,  among  the  filed  papers  of  Trans. 
Presbytery. 

II  Extract  from  the  minutes  of  the  General  Assembly,  filed  among  the  papers 
of  Synod. 

11  Min.  Syn.  vol.  ii.  p.  32. 


274  CRAIGHEAD    AND   PELAGIANISM. 

the  judgment  of  Synod  ;  and  as  they  had  directed  no  review  by 
lower  courts,  Synod  refused  a  fresh  appHcation  of  Mr.  Craig- 
head for  a  new  trial.*  He  then  addressed  them  a  letter,  (the 
body  meeting  that  year  at  Nashville,  Mr.  Craighead's  residence,) 
requesting  leave  to  preach,  in  presence  of  the  Synod,  a  sermon 
explanatory  of  his  doctrinal  views,  in  order  to  disabuse  himself 
of  erroneous  impressions,  and  to  furnish  what  might  perhaps  be 
deemed  satisfactory  concessions.  The  Synod  unanimously  re- 
fused to  grant  the  request,  consenting,  however,  to  hear  any 
statements  by  way  of  concession ;  but  having  heard  him  at  length, 
they  were  unanimously  of  opinion  that  he  manifested  no  dispo- 
sition to  renounce  the  errors  for  which  he  had  been  deposed. f 

At  length,  about  eight  years  afterward,  and  twelve  years 
since  his  suspension,  he  sent  a  letter  and  pamphlet  to  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  of  1822,  which  induced  them  to  rescind  their 
judgment  in  1811  as  being  in  error,  and  to  permit  him  to  pros- 
ecute an  appeal  from  the  decision  of  the  Synod.  He  appealed 
the  next  year,  but  having  failed  to  notify  the  Synod,  nothing 
was  done. J  This  omission  was  rectified,  and  in  1824  the  case 
came  up,  the  Synod  having  forwarded  all  papers  necessary,  and 
appointed  Dr.  Cleland  and  William  L.  McCalla  their  advocates. § 
Mr.  Craighead  was  enabled  to  make  so  good  a  vindication  of 
himself,  and  to  explain  his  views  so  much  to  the  satisfaction  of 
the  Assembly,  that  they  restored  him  to  his  ministerial  standing. 
Not  long  after  this  event  he  departed  this  life  in  Nashville,  aged 
about  seventy  years.  For  some  time  before  his  death  he  had 
suffered  under  the  combined  misfortunes  of  poverty  and  blind- 
ness. 

Mr.  Craighead  was  of  a  tall  but  spare  figure,  not  less  than 
six  feet  in  height,  homely  and  hard-featured,  with  sandy  hair, 
and  a  large  clear  blue  eye.  His  health  was  delicate,  and  his 
voice  weak ;  his  manner  grave,  and  his  action  natural  but  not 
vehement.  He  excelled  as  an  extemporaneous  orator,  but  not 
as  a  writer ;  like  many  others  of  that  class,  exhibiting  his  weak- 
ness when  he  took  up  the  pen,  or  attempted  the  cold  abstractions 
of  metaphysical  research.  His  eloquence  was  of  that  fervid 
kind  which  captivates  and  carries  away  the  hearer  even  in  spite 


*  Min.  Syn.  vol.  ii.  p.  91.  f  Min.  Syn.  vol.  ii.  p.  113. 

\  Presb.  vol.  xv.  p.  37.  ^  Min.  Syn.  vol.  iii.  pp.  61,  65. 


1 


CRAIGHEAD   AND    PELAGIANISM.  275 

of  himself.  We  cannot  but  entertain  a  high  opinion  of  its  mer- 
its, when  we  reflect  that  it  extorted  a  warm  eulogium  from  his 
accomplished  antagonist,  Dr.  Campbell  ;  and  that  it  was 
admired  by  so  distinguished  a  lawyer  as  John  Breckenridge, 
senior,  then  Attorney-General  of  the  United  States,  who  said 
that  his  discourses  made  a  more  lasting  impression  on  his  mem- 
ory than  those  of  any  other  man  he  had  ever  heard. 

Mr.  Craighead  involved  some  of  his  followers,  but  not  many 
in  his  downfall.  Dr.  James  Fishback,  a  physician  of  Lexington, 
and  a  son  of  James  Fishback  commemorated  in  a  former  chap- 
ter of  this  work,  was  open  and  undisguised  in  his  admiration, 
and  was  one  of  the  partial  friends  who  were  instrumental  in 
procuring  the  publication  of  the  sermon  on  Regeneration.  -  He 
superintended  the  printing  of  the  manuscript,  and  afterwards 
was  active  in  circulating  the  Letters  to  Dr.  Campbell.  He  was 
a  friend  and  correspondent  of  the  author,  and  did  all  in  his 
power  to  disseminate  his  sentiments.  The  Session  of  the  1st 
Presbyterian  Church  in  Lexington  felt  it  their  duty  to  sumnion 
him  before  them,  when  he  read  a  paper  explanatory  of  his  views. 
The  result  was  that  he  was  suspended  from  church  privileges. 
From  their  sentence  he  appealed  to  the  Presbytery  of  West  Lex- 
ington, in  October,  1811,  w^ho  affirmed  the  sentence  of  the  Ses- 
sion ;  but  carrying  his  appeal  higher  to  the  Synod,  who  sat  a  few 
days  after,  the  judgment  was  reversed,  and  the  case  was 
remanded  to  the  Session  for  a  fuller  investigation ;  but  no  fur- 
ther steps  were  ever  taken.* 

As  Dr.  Fishback  occupied  a  prominent  place  in  the  ecclesias- 
tical affairs  of  the  West,  it  may  not  be  amiss  to  record  a  few 
particulars  concerning  him.  He  was  a  man  of  remarkably  fine 
personal  appearance,  a  tall  and  commanding  figure,  and  a  son- 
orous voice  ;  his  talents  were  very  respectable,  though  he  was 
deficient  in  classical  learning.  His  frequent  changes  laid  him 
open  to  the  charge  of  fickleness.  After  practising  law  for  some 
time  he  applied  himself  to  medicine,  which  he  abandoned  in 
turn  for  divinity  ;  and  being  dissatisfied  with  the  strict  views  of 
the  Presbyterians  he  threw  himself  into  the  arms  of  the  Baptists, 
among  whom  he  was  speedily  recognized  as  a  preacher. f    But 

*  Min.  W.  L.  Pby .  vol.  ii.  pp.  23,  24.     Min.  Syn.  vol.  ii.  pp.  16, 19. 
f  The  celerity  of  this  process  was  not  a  little  remarkable.     On  the  4th  Sat- 
urday in  November,   1816,  Dr.  Fishback  was  immersed  at  Bryan's   Station, 


276  CRAIGHEAD   AND  PELAGIANISM. 

in  the  course  of  time  his  defence  of  open  communion  and  his 
latitudinarian  views  lost  him  the  confidence  of  that  denomina- 
tion ;  and  after  vacillating  some  time  between  the  regular  Bap- 
tists and  the  Campbellites,  and  holding  himself  awhile  aloof  from 
connection  with  either,  he  finally  ended  his  career  in  communion 
with  the  latter,  and  officiated  as  one  of  their  preachers  in  Lexington. 
He  died  after  a  lingering  illness  in  the  summer  of  1845.  He  was 
the  author  of  several  works.  In  1 8 1 3,  he  published  an  octavo  vol- 
ume entitled,  '•  The  Philosophy  of  the  Human  Mind,  in  respect  to 
Religion,^'  in  which  he  labored  to  establish  a  favorite  theory 
that  there  is  no  such  thing  as  Natural  Religion,  and  that  for 
every  idea  on  the  subject  of  religion,  we  are  solely  indebted  to 
Revelation.  In  1834,  he  appeared  before  the  public  with  a 
duodecimo  on  the  same  subject,  entitled,  "  Essays  and  Dialogues 
on  the  powers  and  susceptibilities  of  the  human  mind  for  Religion,'' 
He  pubHshed  also  in  1822,  a  "  Defence  of  the  Elkhorn  Associa- 
tion, in  sixteen  Letters  to  Elder  Toler." 

Another  champion  of  Mr.  Craighead  was  the  Rev.  John 
Todd,  who  had  come  to  Kentucky  from  Hanover  Presbytery, 
in  Virginia,  in  1809.  He  openly  defended  and  disseminated  the 
Pelagian  tenets  of  Craighead,  and  inveighed  against  the  cen- 
sures of  the  Church  courts.  It  was  his  habit,  both  in  the  pulpit 
and  out  of  it,  to  affirm  that  the  Spirit  was  in  the  word ;  that 
there  was  sufficient  energy  in  the  word  to  convert  and  sanctify; 
that  man  could  believe  the  truth  of  himself;  that  the  will  had  a 
self-determining  power  ;  that  if  God  had  foreordained  whatso- 
ever comes  to  pass  there  could  be  no  sin  in  the  world  ;  and  that 
the  respectability  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  Western 
country  stood  or  fell  with  Craighead's  sermon.  On  these 
charges  Mr.  Todd  was  tried  by  the  Presbytery  of  Transyl- 
vania, Aug.  14,  1812,  convicted,  and  solemnly  admonished.  As 
he  continued  to  hold  and  teach  his  errors  notwithstanding,  the 
Presbytery,  agreeably  to  advice  of  Synod,  obtained  in  the  in- 
terim, suspended  him,  April  15,  1813.  Mr.  Todd  appealed  to 
the  Synod,  but  in  vain.  In  1817,  (October  11th,)  he  took  a  sober 
second  thought,  recanted,  and  was  restored.* 

licensed  to  preach  by  the  Church  there  in  December,  one  month  after  his  recep- 
tion, and  in  seven  months  more,  Aug.  22,  1817,  ordained  to  the  work  of  the 
ministry  in  the  Presbyterian  Meeting-Hoiisc  in  Lexington,  by  Elders  J.  Creath. 
J.  Vardeman,  and  J.  Welch.     Fishback's  Letters  to  Toler,  pp.  67,  90. 

*  Min.  Trans.  Pby.  vol.  iv.  pp.  35,  52,  119.  Min,  Syn.  vol.  ii.  pp.  31,  36, 
61,  105. 


CHAPTER    XI. 


THE  WAR  OF  1812. 

We  have  seen  the  Church  in  Kentucky  subjected  to  a  season 
of  severe  trial.  We  have  watched  her  passing  through  one 
storm  after  another  in  quick  succession,  founded,  indeed,  upon  a 
rock,  but  surrounded  by  the  sea.  Scarcely  had  the  institutions 
of  religion  been  planted,  when  the  Gospel  was  superseded  by 
the  secondary  question  of  Psalmody,  and  the  ploughshare  of 
division  was  fiercely  driven  along  by  the  hands  of  intolerant 
bigotry.  From  this  rude  shock  they  had  not  recovered,  when 
they  were  nearly  swept  away  by  a  whirlwind  of  mad  enthu- 
siasm. The  revival  of  1800,  which  at  first  seemed  to  promise 
fair,  soon  degenerated  in  the  hands  of  a  few  youthful  zealots, 
who  assumed  its  management,  and  the  reio;n  of  disorder  extra- 
vagance,  and  error,  for  a  brief  space  threatened  to  gain  the 
ascendency.  It  is  gratifying  to  find  how  stoutly  and  gallantly 
the  great  body  of  the  clergy  stood  up  to  the  support  of  truth  and 
order,  although  nearly  overborne  by  a  torrent  of  obloquy  ;  and 
when  charity  could  be  no  longer  blind  to  the  spread  of  heresy, 
how  intrepidly  they  vindicated  the  authority  of  the  laws  of 
Christ's  House.  At  one  time  Satan  seemed  to  have  obtained 
permission  to  let  loose  the  four  winds  of  heaven ;  and  the  en- 
thusiasm of  the  New  Lights,  the  success  of  the  Shakers,  the 
schism  of  the  Cumberlands,  and  the  errors  of  Craighead,  simul- 
taneously demanded  resistance  in  every  quarter.  But,  through 
the  Divine  Providence,  the  bush  that  was  in  the  midst  of  raging 
flames  was  not  consumed,  the  Church  emerged  safely  from  all 
her  perils,  and,  after  the ,  lapse  of  nearly  half  a  century,  stands 
firmer  than  ever,  commanding  respect  even  from  those  that 


278  THE    WAR    OF    1812. 

hate  her.  The  stoi-my  trials  through  which  she  passed  contri- 
buted to  her  benefit  and  strength,  and  there  is  no  part  of  the 
Presbyterian  body  in  the  United  States,  at  the  present  time,  that 
furnishes  more  sturdy  champions  for  rigid  orthodoxy  and  effi- 
cient discipline,  than  the  Synod  of  Kentucky ;  not  even  the 
Synod  of  Pittsburg,  celebrated  as  the  backbone  of  Presbyterian- 
ism.  Her  freedom  for  thirty  years  from  dangerous  heresies 
attests  the  fact,  as  well  as  the  prompt  and  well-defined  position 
of  the  Synod  throughout  the  late  New  School  controversy,  and 
the  very  slight  injury  sustained  at  that  period,  when  other  por- 
tions of  the  Church  were  torn  in  pieces. 

After  such  a  series  of  tempestuous  agitations,  it  could  not  be  ex- 
pected that  the  Church  would  be  able  to  right  herself  all  at  once. 
Morbid  excitements  always  leave  the  body  weak  ;  reaction  is 
strong  in  proportion  to  their  previous  violence ;  and  recovery  to  a 
sound,  healthy,  and  active  condition,  is  necessarily  slow.  Days 
of  fasting  and  prayer  were  appointed  in  1807,  1808,  and  1809, 
in  view  of  the  low  state  of  religion,  the  numerous  and  increasing 
errors  of  the  day,  the  neglect  of  ordinances  and  of  the  religious 
education  of  youth,  and  the  growing  fondness  for  intemperance, 
balls,  horse-races,  and  theatrical  amusements.*  In  October, 
1809,  free  conversation  on  the  state  of  religion  was,  for  the  first 
time,  introduced  into  the  Synod.  The  result  was  a  Narrative, 
from  which  it  appeared  that  religion  was  at  a  low  ebb,  many 
had  apostatized,  public  and  family  worship  were  much  neglect- 
ed, and  the  youth  appeared  to  be  growing  up  under  circum- 
stances unfavorable  to  religion  and  moral  improvement.  Still 
there  were  some  small  appearances  of  renewed  attention  to  the 
Gospel  message,  which  tended  a  little  to  animate  and  encourage. 
The  Presbyteries  were  ordered  to  give  more  particular  heed 
to  watching,  discipline,  catechizing,  and  the  religious  instruction 
and  humane  treatment  of  slaves.  Mr.  Rice  proposed  two  plans 
for  putting  the  Church  into  a  better  state,  but  there  not  being 
time  to  digest  them  sufficiently,  their  further  consideration  was 
postponed.! 

The  Narrative  of  the  following  year  (Oct.  15,  1810)  was 
more  cheering.     The  cause  of  Christ  was  represented  as  pro- 


*  Mill.  Syn.  vol.  i.  pp.  134,  148,  160. 
t  Min.  Syn.  vol.  i.  pp.  171-177. 


THE    WAR    OF    1S12.  279 

gressing,  attention  to  ordinances  improving,  infidels  reclaimed, 
new  churches  formed,  and  old  ones  enlarged.  There  was  no 
general  revival  of  religion,  but  visibly  increasing  seriousness  on 
the  part  of  old  and  young.  From  partial  reports  it  appeared 
that  more  than  two  hundred  and  fifty  members  had  been  added 
within  their  bounds.  The  influence  of  the  Schismatics  was  con- 
siderably diminished,  and  many  had  returned  to  order.*  At 
this  meeting  the  Synod  resolved  to  submit  to  the  attention  of  the 
General  Assembly  the  appointment  of  a  stated  missionary  for 
the  Western  country,  to  be  settled  on  the  Wabash,  who  should 
be  constantly  employed  in  Missionary  service. f 

These  pleasing  prospects  were  soon  overcast.  The  public 
mind  became  intensely  excited  upon  political  affairs,  and  could 
think  and  speak  of  nothing  else.  The  whole  country  was  at  that 
period  divided  into  two  great  political  parties,  denominated 
Federal  and  Democratic.  The  latter  party,  of  which  mention 
was  made  in  a  former  chapter,  and  which  had  been'  the  domi- 
nant party  ever  since  the  elevation  of  Mr.  Jefferson  to  the 
Presidency  in  1801,  sympathized  warmly  with  revolutionary 
France,  and  rejoiced  in  her  victories ;  nor  was  this  amicable 
disposition  destroyed  by  the  change  of  the  Consulate  into  the 
Empire.  The  Federal  party,  on  the  other  hand,  saw  in  the 
success  of  the  revolution  the  triumph  of  anarchy  and  infidelity, 
and  dreaded  their  contagious  inffuence.  Both  France  and  Great 
Britain  had  committed  spoliations  on  our  commerce,  and  the 
Berlin  and  Milan  decrees  of  the  one,  and  the  orders  in  council 
of  the  other,  bore  hard  upon  the  neutral  and  carrying  trade  of 
the  United  States,  then  very  considerable.  The  Federalists, 
however,  were  willing  to  overlook  the  grievances  sustained  at 
the  hands  of  England,  because  they  regarded  her  as  the  bulwark 
of  rational  liberty  and  religion.  The  Democratic  party  were,  in 
like  manner,  disposed  to  wink  at  the  injuries  inflicted  by  France, 


*  Min.  Syn.  vol.  i.  p.  194. 

f  Min.  Syn.  vol.  i.  p.  193.  From  this  small  seed  spr.ing  so  great  an  in- 
crease, that  in  fifteen  years,  (1825.)  we  find  Wabash  Freshytery,  together  with 
Madison,  set  off  from  Salem.  Vol.  iii.  p.  129.  The  missionary  contributions 
reported  from  the  churches,  in  1806,  were  S150,58A.  In  1809,  $227,81  J.  An- 
drew McCalla  was  the  Treasurer.  Vol.  i.  pp.  108,  178.  It  is  worthy  of  note,  in 
passing,  that  in  1808,  the  Synod  abolished  the  custom  of  thanking  the  preacher 
of  the  missionary  sermon,  "  as  the  member  who  preaches  the  sermon  does  no 
more  than  his  duty,  and  if  the  sermon  bo  good,  thanks  are  immediately  due  to 
Almighty  God."     Vol.  i.  p.  163. 


280  THE    WAR    OF    1812. 

absorbed  in  the  greater  question  of  the  progres?  of  the  human 
race  ;  while  their  antipathy  to  England  was  so  strong,  that 
nothing  but  open  hostilities  would  satisfy  it.  Party  spirit  ran 
high,  and  the  virulence  of  faction  raged  with  unprecedented 
force. 

At  length,  on  the  18th  of  June,  1812,  war  was  formally  de- 
clared against  Great  Britain.  Napoleon  had  already  started  on 
his  expedition  against  Russia  with  sanguine  expectations  of  suc- 
cess ;  Europe  lay  humbled  at  his  feet ;  England  was  the  only 
power  that  maintained  an  attitude  of  resistance.  Her  situation 
was  growing  every  day  more  perilous  and  more  interesting. 
Those  whose  sympathies  were  enlisted  in  her  cause  as  the  cause 
of  religion  and  civil  liberty,  hesitated  not  to  denounce  the  war  as 
unwise,  uncalled  for,  and  unjust ;  which  naturally  incensed  the  war 
party,  and  produced  an  exceedingly  embittered  state  of  feeling. 
While  some  of  the  Northern  States  refused  to  do  more  than 
furnish  their  contingent  for  defensive  operations,  Kentucky, 
with  the  exception  of  a  small  minority,  was  enthusiastic  in  favor 
of  the  war.  Nothinjr  could  exceed  the  eao-erness  with  which 
her  young  men  poured  forth  as  volunteers  under  Harrison  in 
the  West,  and  Jackson  in  the  South  ;  and  while  the  gallant  navy 
were  winning  deathless  laurels  by  their  brilliant  achievements 
on  the  lakes,  the  noblest  blood  of  Kentucky  was  saturating  the 
soil  of  the  adjacent  teri'itory. 

Of  this  the  massacre  of  the  River  Raisin  was  a  sad  and  memo- 
rable instance.  The  British,  unshamed  by  the  lofty  and  burning 
invective  of  the  departed  Chatham,  had  stooped  to  court  an 
alliance  with  Tecumseh,  the  Indian  Napoleon ;  a  man  of  splen- 
did genius  and  powerful  eloquence,  who  had  formed  the  mag- 
nificent plan  of  consolidating  the  scattered  tribes  in  one  grand 
confederacy,  for  the  purpose  of  gratifying  their  hatred  of  the 
white  man  by  extinguishing  forever  his  settlements  west  of  the 
Alleghany  mountains.  The  whole  frontier  echoed  the  terrific 
war-whoop  ;  the  nightly  sky  was  lit  up  by  the  flames  of  burning 
cabins ;  and  the  tomahawk  was  drenched  with  the  blood  of 
women  and  children.  Such  were  the  barbarities  which  the 
British  traders,  jealous  of  American  competition  and  anticipating 
a  war,  instigated  by  liberal  presents  of  arms  and  ammunition, 
with  the  sanction  of  their  government.  On  the  7th  of  Novem- 
ber, 1811,  a  large  force,  collected  under  Tecumseh,  made  an 


THE    WAR    OF    1812.  2S\ 

attack  on  the  camp  of  General  Harrison,  then  Governor  of  the 
Territory  of  Indiana,  at  Tippecanoe,  but  owing  to  the  precautions 
of  that  distinguished  commander,  they  met  with  a  signal  repulse.* 
The  ferocity  which  obtained  from  General  Proctor  a  promise,  hap- 
pily frustrated,  that  General  Harrison  and  his  troops  should  be 
given  up  to  the  Indians  to  be  burned  at  the  stake,  was  amply  grati- 
fied by  the  massacre  of  the  River  Raisin.  Early  in  1813,  upon 
the  defeat  of  General  Winchester,  five  hundred  men  were  there 
taken  prisoners,  the  greater  part  of  whom  were  massacred  on 
the  spot  by  Tecumseh  and  his  demons,  without  any  interference 
from  the  British  General.  Thus  fell  some  of  the  first  young  men 
of  Kentucky,  and  the  news  clothed  many  a  distinguished  family 
in  mourning.  Among  the  number  was  a  son  of  Dr.  Blythe,  who 
was  tomahawked  standing  and  unresisting,  by  a  savage  who 
had  taken  possession  of  him  as  his  prisoner. 

Another  bloody  engagement  was  that  in  which  Colonel  Dud- 
ley was  defeated  soon  after,  at  Fort  Meigs,  where  Tecumseh 
surrounded  him  with  a  force  three  times  in  number,  and  a  des- 
perate struggle  ensued,  not  more  than  one  hundred  and  fifty 
escaping  out  of  a  detachment  of  eight  hundred. 

At  length,  after  the  brilliant  battle  of  New  Orleans,  on  the  8th 
of  January,  1815,  and  the  proclamation  of  the  Treaty  of  Ghent 
shortly  afterward,  peace  was  restored.  But  it  would  be  folly  to 
suppose  that  so  protracted  and  severe  a  contest  could  have  been 
carried  on  without  extensively  affecting  the  country  in  all  its 
interests,  and  inflicting  a  fatal  injury  on  the  cause  of  religion. 
Not  only  the  unsettling  and  demoralizing  eflfects  of  war  upon  the 
population  generally  must  be  taken  into  account,  we  have  in  this 
case  to  add  the  mutual  estrangement  and  recriminations  of  those 
who  had  espoused  different  sides  of  the  great  political  question 
of  the  expediency  of  the  war.  To  so  great  a  length  was  this 
feeling  carried,  that  a  hot  advocate  of  the  war  could  not  hear  a 
clergyman  of  contrary  sentiments  preach,  or  finding  such  a  one 
unexpectedly  in  the  pulpit,  would  leave  the  house. 


*  In  this  battle  foil  tho  celebrated  Col.  Joseph  Hamilton  Davies.?,  one  of  Ken- 
tucky's most  (jallant  and  gifted  sons.  He  coinriiniided  as  a  Major  of  Cavalry. 
He  was  wounded  in  three  places  while  inakino;  a  charge,  and  survived  only 
about  sixteen  hours.  He  met  deatli  with  great  calmness  and  composure,  and 
seemed  to  be  engaged  in  watching  its  progress.  Although  a  Federalist,  and 
opposed  to  the  war,  his  foot  was  among  the  first  in  the  stirrup. 


282  THE    WAR    OF   1812. 

Another  illustration  of  this  unpleasant  alienation  of  feeling  is 
furnished  in  the  difficulties  that  sprung  up  between  Dr.  Blythe 
and  William  L.  McCalla.  Mr.  McCalla  brought  Dr.  Blythe 
before  the  bar  of  the  West  Lexington  Presbytery,  August  3d, 
1813,  on  various  charges  as  detailed  in  the  biographical  sketch 
in  Chapter  lY.  Suffice  it  to  say  for  the  present,  that  from  the 
Declaration  there  would  appear  to  have  been  a  difference  in 
political  sentiments  between  them,  Mr.  McCalla  being  a  warm 
partisan  in  favor  of  the  war,  while  Dr.  Blythe,  although  he  was 
patriotic  enough  not  to  withhold  a  favorite  son  from  his  country's 
defence,  was  nevertheless  known  to  be  strongly  opposed  to  the 
war.  Mr.  McCalla,  in  his  first  allegation,  accused  him  of  having 
avowed  a  determination,  before  several  persons,  to  oppose  his 
licensure  on  account  of  his  political  opinions ;  and  that  he  had 
said  to  complainant's  own  mother  that  he  could  not  conscien- 
tiously promote  it,  because  he  regarded  her  son's  political 
sentiments,  especially  on  mobs  and  effigy-burning,  as  really  un- 
principled and  immoral,  and  he  could  not  be  instrumental  in 
introducing  a  firebrand  into  the  Church.* 

It  further  appears,  that  in  a  sermon  which  Mr.  McCalla  had 
read  as  a  candidate  four  months  before,  (April  14th,  1843.)  he 
had  painted  a  noble  young  volunteer  arming  for  battle,  his  fare- 
well parting,  and  his  heroic  death.  After  he  had  retired.  Dr. 
Blythe  rose,  and  in  a  touching  manner  complained  that  the  story 
was  introduced  for  the  purpose  of  harrowing  up  the  feelings  of 
a  bereaved  parent,  for  there  were  circumstances  detailed  in  the 
account  that  were  applicable  only  to  his  own  son,  who  had  been 
killed  at  the  River  Raisin  early  in  the  year.f  The  Presbytery 
considered  the  sermon  so  objectionable,  that  after  at  first  agree- 
ing to  sustain  it,  with  the  proviso  that  the  Moderator  should  ac- 
company the  announcement  to  the  candidate  with  suitable  ad- 
monitory remarks,J  they  decided  the  next  day,  on  more  mature 
deliberation,  not  to  sustain  it  at  all,  one  or  two  dissenting.§  Mean- 
time, in  order  to  enable  the  dissenters  to  prepare  their  dissent, 
they  retained  the  paper  in  their  hands.il  Hereupon  Mr.  McCalla 
made  a  peremptory  demand  for  the  manuscript,  accompanied 


*  Min.  VV.  L.  Pby.  vol.  ii.  p.  97.  f  Min.  W.  L.  Pby.  vol.  ii.  pp.  I12-U5. 

t  Min.  W.  L.  Pby.  vol.  ii.  p.  68.  §  Min.  W.  L.  Pby.  vol.  ii.  p.  71. 

II  Min.  W.  L.  Pby.  vol.  ii.  p.  75. 


THE    WAR.    OF    1812. 


283 


with  threats  of  a  resort  to  the  civil  law.  The  Presbytery  offer- 
ed to  furnish  an  attested  copy,  which  he  refused,  and  as  they 
declined  to  return  the  original,  he  stepped  forward,  and  laying 
violent  hands  on  the  paper,  carried  it  off.  A  committee  was 
appointed  to  expostulate  with  him,  but  failed  either  to  recover 
the  manuscript  or  to  obtain  any  concessions,  on  which  his  trials 
were  suspended  ;  a  decision  which  was  afterwards. confirmed  by 
the  Synod  on  review.* 

Among  the  prevailing  evils  of  the  times,  not  irreligion  merely, 
but  unblushing  infidelity  also,  were  spreading  extensively  through 
the  land.  Everywhere  were  to  be  met,  in  genteel  society  and 
in  the  country  tavern,  admirers  of  French  philosophy ;  and 
many  who  were  regarded  as  intellectual  and  influential,  especially 
among  professional  men,  were  open  unbelievers. f  In  view  of 
the  calamities  of  war,  pestilence,  and  the  low  state  of  religion, 
the  Presbytery  of  West  Lexington  appointed  a  general  Fast  on 
the  second  Thursday  of  May,  1814.  J 

It  was  in  the  same  year  that  Messrs.  Daniel  Srnith  and  Samuel 
J.  Mills  visited  Kentucky  and  the  South-west,  in  behalf  of  the 
American  Bible  Society,  with  a  view  to  distribute  copies  of 
the  Holy  Scriptures,  to  form  Bible  Societies,  and  to  organize 
churches.     It  may  give  a  vivid  idea  of  the  destitution  of  the 


*  Min.  W.  L.  Pby.  vol.  ii.  pp.  74,  75.     Min.  Syn.  vol.  ii.  p.  62. 

Mr.  McCalla  contended  that  so  far  from  designing  to  wound  Dr.  B.'s  feel- 
ings, the  instance  he  had  had  in  his  eye  was  the  fall  of  his  own  brother,  who  had 
been  also  a  volunteer.  The  Rev.  William  L.  McCalla  was  a  son  of  that 
worthy  man,  Andrew  McCalla,  of  Lexington,  before  mentioned  as  in^Iding 
various  offices  of  trust  in  the  community,  and  disting\iished  for  his  benevolent 
attentions  to  the  sick.  None  who  ever  saw  his  mother,  will  soon  forgt  i:  the 
keen  eye  and  strong  character  of  that  ardent  mother  in  Israel.  She  fell  a  vic- 
tim to  the  cholera  in  1833.  Gen.  John  M.  McCalla,  now  one  of  the  AudiJors  of 
the  Treasury  of  the  U.  S.  is  his  brother.  This  eccentric  but  talented  divine  was 
first  settled  at  Maysville,  then  at  Philadelphia,  whence  he  found  liis  way  to  the 
Republic  of  Texas,  as  Chaplain  to  the  Navy.  Disappointed  in  his  expiM^tntionB 
of  extensive  usefulness  in  that  field,  he  soon  abandoned  it,  and  publi.-hcd  the 
result  of  his  observations  in  a  small  volume.  He  has  shone  most  conspicuously 
as  a  polemic.  He  has  been  engaged  in  di.scussions  with  Alexander  Campbell, 
the  Christ-ians  of  Milford,  the  Roman  Catholics,  and  tlie  Mew  School  Pn-^byte- 
rians.  Armed  at  all  points,  his  antagonists  have  quailed  !)onoath  his  wilhering 
sarcasm,  iiis  unsparing  invective,  and  a  fluency  tliat  never  was  at  a  loss  for  a 
word  ;  while  in  the  stormiest  debate  and  the  most  turbulent  assembly,  he  stood 
as  cool  and  imperturbable  as  an  ice-ribbed  rock  of  the  North,  or  Demoslhones 
haranguing  the  roaring  surf. 

f  Nel.son's  Cause  and  Cure  of  Infidelity,  pp.  215-217.  Dr.  Campbell's  Ser- 
mon before  the  Synod,  Oct.  14,  1812.     "  A  Portrait  of  the  Times,"  p.  17. 

X  Min.  W.  L.  Pby.  vol.  ii.  p.  175. 


284 


THE    WAR   OF   1812. 


means  of  grace  which  fell  under  their  observation,  to  state,  that 
they  spent  two  Sabbaths  in  a  certain  town  in  Kentucky,  then 
containing  two  or  three  thousand  inhabitants,  without  being  able 
to  collect  a  congregation  for  the  worship  of  God.  The  negroes 
were  standing  in  groups  in  the  streets,  laughing  and  swearing ; 
the  boys  playing  and  hallooing ;  the  men  in  the  outskirts  of  the 
town,  shooting  at  pigeons,  of  which  immense  flocks  were  flying 
over  the  place  ;  the  more  respectable  class  of  gentlemen  riding 
out  for  amusement.  In  short,  the  only  peculiar  mark  of  atten- 
tion by  which  the  Sabbath  day  was  distinguished,  v/as,  that  there 
was  more  noise,  more  profanity,  and  more  wickedness,  than  on 
any  other  day  of  the  seven.  It  is  gratifying,  however,  to  be 
able  to  add,  that  ten  years  afterward  there  were  three  large  and 
flourishing  churches  planted  in  that  very  town.* 

In  spite  of  all  these  antagonistic  influences,  the  cause  of  reli- 
gion was  making  some  advance,  and  Zion  was  lengthening  her 
cords  and  strengthening  her  stakes.  In  1814,  the  churches  on 
the  northern  side  of  the  Ohio  river  had  so  multiplied  as  to  re- 
quire the  erection  of  a  new  Synod,  called  the  Synod  of  Ohio, 
consisting  of  the  Presbyteries  of  Washington,  Lancaster,  and 
Miami. t  lu  1817,  a  still  further  division  was  rendered  neces- 
sary towards  the  South,  and  the  Synod  of  Tennessee  was  set  off", 
comprising  the  Presbyteries  of  Union,  Shiloh,  West  Tennessee, 
and  Mississippi.J 

But  while  there  was  a  slow  advance  on  the  part  of  the  Church, 
the  progress  of  infidelity  was  rapid  and  alarming.  The  prospect 
grew  darker  and  darker,  until  in  1818  occurred  an  event  which 
fell  on  the  Christian  community  like  a  clap  of  thunder,  and  which 
furnishes  one  of  the  most  striking  evidences  of  the  truth  of  the 
remark  just  made.  In  that  year  the  Legislature  of  the  State,  on 
the  motion  of  some  of  its  members,  suddenly  and  summarily 
ejected  the  whole  Board  of  Trustees  of  Transylvania  University, 
which  had  hitherto  been  under  Presbyterian  influence  and  con- 
trol, and  in  utter  violation  of  the  charter,  appointed  in  their 
place  thirteen  new  trustees,  not  one  of  whom  was  a  professor  of 
religion  of  any  sect.§     From  that  time,  with  an  ungodly  Board 


*  Bishop's  Rice,  pp.  195, 196.  f  Bishop's  Rice,  p.  251. 

I  Bishop's  Rice,  p.  252.  5  Marshall's  Letter,  &-c. 


THE    WAR    OF    1812.  285 

of  Trustees,  and  a  Unitarian  President,  that  institution  sent  forth 
infidel  graduates  with  great  uniformity.* 

In  the  year  1820  died  the  Rev.  James  McChord.  He  was 
born  in  Baltimore  in  1785,  and  removed  to  Lexington  at  five 
years  of  age.     He  received  a  Uberal  education,  and  proceeded 


*  Nelson,  p.  108. 

Deplorably  low  as  the  state  of  religion  was  about  this  period,  and  discouraging 
as  were  its  prospects,  still  matters  were  not  in  so  shocking  a  condition  as  they 
have  been  represented  by  Dr.  Bi.;hop,  in  his  Memoirs  of  Rice,  p.  306.  And  the 
present  writer  feels  as  if  it  would  be  unfaithfulness  to  the  cause  of  Protestant 
Christianity  to  suffer  the  statement  to  pass  uncorrected.  In  that  place  Dr. 
Bishop  represents  the  population  of  Kentucky  in  1820  as  564,317,  and  deduct- 
ing 46,730  church  members,  (viz  :  Baptists,  21,680;  Methodists,  20,850 ;  Pres- 
byterians, 2,700  ;  Cumberland  Presbyterians,  1,000  ;  others.  500  ;)  and  all  under 
10  years  of  age,  amounting  to  190.450,  he  leaves  tiie  large  number  of  327,137. 
white  and  black,  "  to  be  brought  under  the  influence  of  a  Christian  profession." 
He  further  states  that  there  were  about  200  preachers  in  the  State,  of  different 
denominations  ;  and  he  assigns  to  each  an  audience  of  not  more  than  200  per- 
sons on  an  average ;  amounting  to  only  40,000  hearers  of  the  Gospel  in  the 
entire  State,  and  leaving  the  immense  number  of  460,000  persons  who  never 
attended  public  worship.  The  Very  Reverend  Dr.  Martin  J.  Spalding,  Roman 
Catholic  pastor  of  Bardstown,  and  Vicar-General  of  Kentucky,  in  his  interesting 
"Sketches  of  the  Early  Catholic  Missions,"  (published  in  1844.)  has  seized  on 
these  statistics,  and  employed  them,  with  a  very  natural  zeal,  to  the  discredit  of 
Protestantism.  He  observes  that  they  exhibit  a  truly  frightful  picture  of  the 
religious  condition  of  the  Protestant  sects  in  Kentucky,  after  forty  years'  exer- 
tion, with  all  their  parade  al)0ut  religion,  the  Sabbath,  and  the  Bible.  Only  one- 
eighth  of  the  entire  population  over  ten  years  of  age  made  Christians,  and  seven- 
eighths  unchristianized  !  What,  he  asks,  became  of  all  the  converts  made  in  the 
great  revival  ?     (p.  1 09.) 

The  Vicar-General  quotes  fairly,  and  we  have  no  right  to  blame  him  for 
making  his  own  inferences.  But  we  have  a  right  to  censure  the  author  who 
has  incautiously  put  such  weapons  into  an  adversary's  hands.  No  one  can  e.\- 
amine  the  statistics  without  perceiving  their  glaring  unfairness  and  gross  mis- 
takes. The  number  of  chiirch  members  is  represented  as  46,730,  and  yet  the 
entire  average  of  attendants  on  public  worship  is  only  40,000!!  This  is  too 
ridiculous  for  comment. 

Again,  Dr.  B.  deducts  all  under  ten  years  of  age.  But  he  ought  to  have 
borne  in  mind  that  Protestant  Churches  are  not  in  the  haijit  of  admitting  youths 
of  twelve  or  fifteen  to  the  communion.  Applicants  of  so  tender  an  age  they 
generally  retain  for  some  time  in  the  condition  of  catechumens,  to  give  them  an 
opportunity  to  examine  the  grounds  of  their  faith,  and  to  count  the  cost.  No 
judicious  minister  encourages  such  youths  to  come  forward  under  the  pressure 
of  an  excitement  which  may  be  spurious.  It  would  have  been  therefore  a  much 
safer  process  to  have  deducted  all  under  fifteen  or  sixteen,  which  would  hav(^ 
produced  a  very  different  result.  Let  us  compute  the  number  thus  compre- 
hended at  only  one-half  of  the  number  under  ten,  95,225  ;  these,  with  the  child- 
ren under  ten,  and  the  church  members,  being  subtracted,  leave  231,912  persons 
of  an  age  ordinarily  deemed  suitable  for  making  a  profession  of  religion. 

But  let  us  proceed  a  step  farther,  and  deduct  the  average  number  attending 
public  worship,  which  may  reasonably  be  put  down  at  three  non-professors  to 
one  professor.  This  gives  us  140,190  persons  in  the  habit  of  attending  the 
preaching  of  the  Gospel  besides  the  church-members,  leaving  91,722  persons  not 
habitual  hearers.  According  to  this  estimate,  instead  of  the  frightful  proportion 
19 


286  THE    "WAR    OF    1812. 

to  read  law  with  the  Hon.  Henry  Clay,  but  becommg  pious 
turned  his  thoughts  to  the  ministry.  He  spent  four  years  with 
Dr.  Mason  at  the  Theological  Seminary  in  New  York,  where 
he  held  the  foremost  rank.  He  was  licensed  in  1809,  ordained 
in  1811,  and  published  a  treatise  in  1814,  on  the  nature  of  the 
Church,  under  the  title  of  "  The  Body  of  Christ."  The  Asso- 
ciate Reformed  Presbytery  condemned  it  as  erroneous,  and  sus- 
pended him  the  next  year.  He  in  vain  sought  redress  from  the 
Synod,  and  anticipating  their  sentence,  in  1817  he  handed  in  a 
declinature  of  their  authority ;  (a  practice  authorized  by  their 
Form  of  Government,  chap.  8,  sect.  3  ;  and  chap.  10,  sect.  10.) 
He  then  applied  to  the  West  Lexington  Presbytery,  who  finding 
his  opinions  not  at  variance  with  their  own,  admitted  him.  His 
views  on  Inter-communion  were  liberal.  He  became  the  first  pas- 
tor of  the  Market  street  or  Second  Presbyterian  Church,  Lexing- 
ton, founded  in  1815.  His  preaching  was  very  much  admired, 
until  it  resulted  in  the  conversion  of  some  of  his  young  and  fashion- 
able auditors ;  when  the  rest  took  the  alarm,  and  a  storm  of 
persecution  was  raised  against  him  by  those  who  desired  only 
entertaining  preaching,  and  who  exercised  a  controlling  influence 
over  the  fiscal  affairs  of  the  congregation.  Mr.  McChord  was 
made  very  uncomfortable,  and  was  compelled  to  exchange  his 
situation  in  1819,  for  an  academy  at  Paris.  Upon  his  death  in 
1820,  his  admirers  rallied,  and  paid  him  the  honor  of  altering 
the  name  of  his  late  charge  to  that  of  '^McCkord^s  Church" 
His  remains  were  interred  beneath  the  pripit,  and  a  marble 
tablet  set  in  the  wall.  It  might  be  truly  said  of  this  brilliant  but 
unfortunate  man,  "he  asked  for  bread  and  they  gave  him  a 
stone."  He  was  of  a  slender  person,  and  a  rapid  and  compre- 
hensive intellect.  His  style  was  glowing  and  gorgeous,  and  his 
imagination  exuberant  to  a  fault.  His  published  writings  are, 
1.  A  Sermon  on  the  Divine  Forgiveness,  1812  ;  2.  A  Sermon  on 
the  Signs  of  the  Times,  1813  ;  3.  The  Body  of  Christ,  a  series 

of  seven-eighths  of  the  entire  population,  we  have  only  one-sixth,  not  in  the  habit 
of  attending  public  worship;  and  perhaps  we  might  be  still  nearer  the  truth 
were  we  to  adopt  the  proportion  assumed  by  Dr.  Campbell,  of  one-eighth.  (See 
his  "  Portrait  of  the  Times  ;"  1812,  p.  19.)  This  number  is  large  indeed,  but 
compared  with  Dr.  Bishop's  32'/, 137  unchristianized  adults,  it  is  somewhat  less 
shocking  ;  and  it  is  consoling  to  reflect  and  hope  that  five-sixths  or  seven-eighths 
of  the  population  had  the  oppoitunity  of  hearing  the  Gospel,  and  were  to  some 
extent  under  its  salutary  influence,  although  not  prepared  to  make  a  profession. 


THE    WAR    OF    1812.  287 

of  Essays  on  Federal  Representation,  1814;  4.  A  Sermon 
preached  before  the  Legislature,  on  National  Safety,  1815;  5. 
A  Plea  for  the  Hope  of  Israel,  being  his  Defence  before  the 
Synod,  1817;  6.  A  Last  Appeal  to  the  Market  street  Church, 
being  a  volume  of  Sermons ;  7,  A  volume  of  Posthumous  Dis- 
courses. 

His  successors  were  the  Rev.  John  Breckenridge,  in  1823 ; 
the  Rev.  John  C.  Young,  in  1829 ;  the  writer  of  these  pages, 
in  1832;  the  Rev.  John  D.  Matthews,  in  1841  ;  and  the  Rev. 
John  H.  Brown,  in  1844.  During  the  intervals  between  the 
accessions  of  the  different  pastors,  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Bishop, 
Wallace,  Joyce,  and  Birch  officiated  as  supplies  for  the  pulpit. 
The  old  edifice,  (together  with  a  handsome  lecture-room,  the 
munificent  gift  of  David  A.  Sayre,  Esq..)  is  now  superseded  by 
a  more  aspiring  Gothic  structure  in  the  modern  style. 


CHAPTER    XII 


TRANSYLVANIA  UNIVERSITY  AND  GENTRi;  COLLEGE. 

The  history  of  Transylvania  University  and  of  the  relatiori 
which  the  Presbyterian  Church  sustained  to  it,  is  of  sufficient 
importance  to  require  a  separate  chapter.  Various  details  con- 
cerning this  subject  have  been  purposely  deferred  to  the  present, 
in  order  that  the  whole  might  be  more  advantageously  exhibited 
under  one  view. 

Presbyterianism,  being  essentially  a  republican  system,  has 
always  incorporated  popular  education  as  one  of  its  prime  ele- 
ments. Abhorring  equally  the  dogmas,  that  ignorance  is  the 
mother  of  devotion,  and  that  the  clergy  alone  constitute  The 
Church,  and  requiring  the  people  by  their  representatives,  the 
elders,  to  share  in  the  government,  it  has  ever  been  a  principal 
aim  to  foster  learning  in  the  ministry  and  intelligence  among  the 
laity.  The  same  spirit  that  founded  Nassau  Hall  in  New  Jersey, 
Hampden  Sidney  and  Liberty  Hall  in  Virginia,  and  Washington 
and  Jefferson  colleges  in  Pennsylvania,  early  busied  itself  to 
plant  a  similar  institution  in  the  West. 

So  early  as  1780,  five  years  after  its  first  settlement  by  Daniel 
Boone,  in  the  very  infancy  of  the  colony,  the  Legislature  of 
Virginia  vested  8,000  acres  of  escheated  lands,  situated  in  Ken- 
tucky county,  in  trust,  for  the  purpose  of  establishing  therein  a 
public  school  or  seminary  of  learning.  In  1783,  these  trustees 
were  incorporated,  and  12,000  acres  of  escheated  lands  were 
granted,  in  addition,  for  the  endowment  of  the  new  institution, 
which  was  to  be  known  as  The  Transylvania  Seminary  ;  a 
classical  and  euphonious  name,  fitly  chosen  to  denote  what  was 
in  common  parlance  known  as  the  Backicoods.  In  1787,  one- 
sixth  of  the  surveyors'  fees,  in  what  was  now  the  District  of 


TRANSYLVANIA    UNIVEHSITY    AND   CENTRE    COLLEGE.         289 

Kentucky,  formerly  given  to  the  College  of  William  and  Mary, 
was  further  appropriated  to  aid  in  the  endowment.  This  law 
was  afterwards  repealed  by  the  Legislature  of  Kentucky  in 
1802.  After  Kentucky  had  been  erected  into  a  State,  in  1792, 
laws  w^ere  passed  exempting  lands  from  escheat,  in  order  to  en- 
courage settlement  and  augment  the  population,  the  effect  of 
which  was  to  deprive  the  seminary  of  the  12,000  acres  last 
granted  by  Virginia,* 

The  persons  who  were  most  active  in  furthering  this  en- 
terprise were  the  Rev.  John  Todd,  of  Hanover  Presbytery  in 
Virginia  ;  his  nephew.  Col.  John  Todd,  member  of  the  Virginia 
Legislature  from  the  county  of  Fayette,  who  afterwards  fell  in 
so  melancholy  a  manner  at  the  disastrous  battle  of  the  Blue 
Licks ;  and  the  Hon.  Caleb  Wallace,  member  from  the  county 
of  Lincoln.     These  persons  were  all  Presbyterians.f 

The  Board  of  Trustees  met,  November  10th,  1783,  in  Lincoln 
county,  when  the  Rev.  David  Rice  was  appointed  Chairman, 
which  office  he  held  for  four  years,  when  he  resigned  and  was 
succeeded  by  Judge  Innis,  In  February,  1785,  by  direction  of 
the  Board,  the  seminary  was  opened  in  the  house  of  Mr.  Rice 
at  or  near  Danville,  which  was  the  first  school  taught  in  Ken- 
tucky. J  The  endowment  proving  for  a  long  time  unproductive, 
sufficed  only  to  affi3rd  a  scanty  salary  for  a  single  teacher,  and 
in  consequence  the  institution  could  not  rise  above  the  rank  of  a 
common  grammar-school. § 

On  the  13th  of  October,  1788,  the  Seminary  was  removed  to 
Lexington,  then  a  large  and  flourishing  town,  by  which  step 
Lexington  became,  and  for  a  long  time  continued  to  be,  the 
literary,  even  after  it  had  ceased  to  be  the  political  and  com- 
mercial, capital  of  the  West.||  Whatever  advantages  may  have 
been  anticipated  from  this  measure,  a  very  serious  evil  resulted 
in  a  few  years.  The  tone  of  sentiment  among  the  leading  men 
in  that  place  had  become  deeply  tinctured  with  the  spirit  of 


*  Report  of  the  Committee  of  Visitors,  1842,  pp.  1,  2.  Memoir  of  Pres. 
Holley,  p.  193. 

f  Stuart's  Reminiscences,  No.  IV.  Bishop's  Rice,  p.  96.  Memorial  of 
Synod  to  the  Logisl.     Filed  papers  of  Trans.  Pby. 

t  Bishop's  Rice,  pp.  96,  97. 

§  McFarland's  Literary  Pamphleteer,  p.  9. 

II  Bishop's  Rice,  p.  97. 


290  TRANSYLVANIA    UNIVERSITY 

French  infidelity.  It  was  the  head-quarters  of  one  of  the  Demo- 
cratic or  Jacobin  Clubs,  established  under  the  auspices  of  Genet, 
and  other  French  emissaries,  which  was  distinguished  for  its 
activity,  dogmatism,  and  virulence.*  This  violent  sympathy 
with  everything  French,  unfortunately  comprehended  the  French 
antipathy  to  the  Christian  religion,  as  was  shortly  manifested  in 
its  bringing  about  a  change  in  the  direction  of  public  instruction 
and  securing  the  control  in  its  own  hands.  The  endeavor  was 
but  too  successful  ;  and  on  the  30th  of  June,  1794,  the  teacher 
of  Transylvania  Seminary,  Mr.  James  Moore,  a  Presbyterian, 
was  ejected  by  the  Board  of  Trustees,  and  the  Rev.  Harry 
Toulmin,  a  known  disciple  of  Priestley,  was  placed  at  its  head. 
The  Presbyterian  members  of  the  Board  strongly  remonstrated 
against  this  procedure,  and  exerted  all  their  influence  to  pre- 
vent its  mischievous  consequences,  but  in  vain  ;  they  were  over- 
ruled by  a  mad  and  misguided  majority,  and  a  fatal  blow  was 
thus  given  to  the  prosperity  of  the  school. f  Tolerance  has 
never  been  a  virtue  of  scepticism. 

Mr.  Toulmin  was  by  birth  an  Englishman,  and  by  profession 
a  Baptist  preacher,  but  in  sentiment  he  was  a  Unitarian,  and  a 
follower  of  Dr.  Priestley.  His  doctrinal  views  coincided  with 
those  of  his  brother  Joshua  Toulmin,  D.D.,  of  Taunton,  England, 
whose  "  Addresses  to  Young  Men,'"  were  tainted  with  Socinian 
errors.  Toulmin  was,  moreover,  a  hot  politician  and  a  syco- 
phantic satellite  of  Thomas  Jefferson,  to  whom  he  dedicated 
several  adulatory  stanzas  in  a  small  volume  of  very  indifferent 
poems,  which  he  published  in  Lexington,  in  1805.  J  His  demo- 
cratical  partisanship  and  Socinian  doctrine  made  him  popular 
with  the  Deistical  clubs,  and  through  their  influence  he  was 
invited  to  preside  over  Transylvania  Seminary.  This  station, 
however,  he  did  not  long  occupy,  leaving  it  in  two  years  for  the 
higher  post  of  Secretary  of  State,  to  which  he  was  appointed  in 
1796,  by  Governor  Garrard,  whom,  with  others  of  the  same 
family,  he  had  succeeded  in  proselyting  to  his  religious  system. 
Mr.  Toulmin  published  a  Digest  of  the  Laws  of  Kentucky  ;  and 


*  Butler's  Hist,  of  Ky.,  c.  xiii.  pp.  222,  231. 

f  Stuart's  Rem.  No.  IV.     Pamphleteer,  No.  I.  p.  10. 

I  Short  Poetic  Attempts,  by  Damon,  2d  edition,  pp.  5,  10,  14. 


AND   CKNTRE    COLLEGE.  291 

was  subsequently  made  a  United  States'  Judge  in  the  Territory 
of  Alabama.* 

The  Presbytery  of  Transylvania  were  not  unprepared  for  the 
crisis.  They  had  foreseen  its  inevitable  approach,  and  had  taken 
timely  measures  to  found  an  independent  college  under  their 
own  patronage,  in  which  their  sons  might  enjoy  the  advantages 
of  a  Uberal  education  without  the  contamination  of  tlieir  religious 
principles,  and  which  might  furnish  the  churches  with  able  and 
faithful  ministers.  At  their  spring  meeting  in  Woodford  Church, 
April  22d,  1794,  they  issued  proposals  for  setting  on  foot  a 
grammar-school  and  a  public  seminary,  accompanied  with  an 
address  to  the  people  of  Kentucky,  Cumberland,  and  the  Miami 
settlements.  Forty-seven  gentlemen  were  appointed  as  collect- 
ors in  the  various  congregations,  who  were  to  pay  the  moneys 
they  received  into  the  hands  of  the  Rev.  James  Crawford,  Stated 
Clerk  of  Presbytery,  f 

In  the  proposals  it  was  announced  that  the  grammar-school 
should  be  under  the  care  of  a  minister  who  was  a  member  of  the 
Presbytery,  and  should  be  visited  by  them  or  their  committee  at 
least  once  a  year  ;  that  the  teacher  should  be  appointed  by  the 
Presbytery,  the  clerical  superintendent  supplying  any  vacancy 
occurring  in  the  recess  ;  and  that  promising  youths  should  be 
sought  out  and  educated,  if  needful,  at  the  expense  of  the 
churches,  for  which  purpose  all  heads  of  families  were  recom- 
mended to  contribute  annually  for  four  years,  two  shillings  and 
threepence.  J  The  public  seminary  was  to  be  placed  under  the 
care  of  a  President,  who  should  be  a  learned  and  zealous  minis- 
ter of  the  Gospel ;  but  no  endeavors  should  be  used  by  him  or 
other  teachers  to  influence  the  mind  of  any  student  to  change 
his  religious  tenets,  any  further  than  is  consistent  with  the  gene- 
ral belief  of  the  Gospel  system,  and  the  practice  of  vital  piety. 
The  number  of  trustees  was  twenty-one,  of  whom  one-half 
should  always  be  taken  from  the  ministers  of  Transylvania 
Presbytery,  or  if  divided  into  two  or  more  Presbyteries,  the 
ministers  composing  them  ;  and  two-thirds  should  constitute  a 
quorum. §     It  is  worthy  of  note  that  neither  in  the  printed  pro- 


*  Butler's  Hist.  c.  xv.  p.  262. 

f  Proposals,  p.  4.     Min.  Trans.  Pby.  vol.  i.  p.  121. 

j  Proposals,  pp.  3,  4,  5. 

§  Proposals,  pp.  6,  7.     Min.  Trans.  Pby.  vol.  i.  pp.  109,  111,  113,  117. 


292  TRANSYLVANIA  UNIVERSITY 

posals  nor  the  address  is  there  the  remotest  alkision  to  the  cir- 
cumstances which  created  the  necessity  for  this  effort. 

The  Presbytery  proceeded  with  great  vigor.  In  December 
of  the  same  year,  they  petitioned  the  Legislature  for  a  charter, 
the  venerable  Father  Rice  appearing  in  their  behalf,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  procuring  one  for  their  seminary,  under  the  style  and 
title  of,  "The  Kentucky  Academy;"  and  on  February  10th, 
1798,  the  Legislature  gave  them  an  endowment  of  6,000  acres  of 
land.* 

In  addition  to  the  handsome  grant  of  the  Legislature,  the  col- 
lections sped  prosperously.  The  subscriptions  and  donations  in 
the  State  amounted  to  upwards  of  one  thousand  pounds,  which 
was  equivalent  to  three  thousand  three  hundred  and  thirty-three 
dollars,  in  federal  currency ;  the  pound  being  rated  at  three  dol- 
lars, thirty-three  cents,  and  three  mills. f  Messrs.  Rice  and 
Blythe  were  chosen  commissioners  to  the  next  General  Assem- 
bly, and  appointed  at  the  same  time  solicitors  in  the  Atlantic 
States.  They  were  very  successful  in  their  tour,  and  collected 
nearly  ten  thousand  dollars.  Among  the  donors  was  President 
Washington,  who  received  Dr.  Blythe  with  great  courtesy,  and 
expressed  his  warm  interest  in  the  subject  of  popular  education.! 
On  a  parchment  subscription  list  in  the  archives  of  Transylvania 
University,  may  yet  be  seen  recorded  the  names  of  George 
Washington  and  John  Adams,  for  one  hundred  dollars  each,  and 
Aaron  Burr  for  fifty  dollars. § 

The  Academy  had  also  a  small  but  valuable  library  and  phi- 
losophical apparatus  to  commence  with  as  a  nucleus.  For  these 
it  was  indebted  to  the  generous  exertions  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Gor- 
don, of  London.     An  epistolary  acquaintance  having  commenc- 


*  Min.  Trans.  Pby.  vol.  i.  pp.  151,  156.  1  Littcll,  c.  51.  At  the  same  time 
they  gave  alike  quantity  of  land  to  Franklin  and  Salem  Academies,  Jefferson 
Seminary,  and  the  Lexington  Seminary.  Littell's  Laws  of  Kentucky,  vol.  ii. 
pp.  107,  "l 08.  For  the  charter  at  length,  see  Littell,  vol.  i.  pp.  228-230.  The 
trustees  appointed  were  eighteen  in  number,  as  follows :  David  Rice,  Caleb 
Wallace,  Jacob  Froman,  Samuel  Shannon,  Terali  Templin,  .John  Miller,  James 
Crawford,  Robert  Finley,  Andrew  McCalla,  William  Ward,  James  Thompson, 
James  Camper,  John  Caldwell,  William  Henry,  Robert  Marshall,  Notly  Conn, 
James  Blythe,  and  Gary  x\llen. 

I  Bishop's  Rice,  p.  97. 

I  INIin.  Trans.  Pby.  vol.  i.  p.  141.  The  amount  collected  is  stated,  on  the  au- 
thority of  Dr.  Blythe,  from  whose  lips  also  the  interesting  anecdote  respecting 
General  Washington  was  obtained. 

5  Lex.  Obs.  and  Rep.,  June  17,  1843. 


AND   CENTRE    COLLEGE.  293 

ed  between  that  gentleman  and  the  Rev.  John  Todd,  through 
their  common  friend,  President  Davies,  and  Mr.  Todd  having, 
in  1765,  expressed  a  desire  to  procure  books  and  instruments  for 
some  young  persons  designed  for  the  ministry,  Dr.  Gordon  ex- 
erted himself  to  obtain  subscriptions  and  donations  of  books, 
which  were  transmitted  about  four  years  afterward.  The  sub- 
scriptions amounted  to  eighty  pounds,  two  shillings  and  sixpence. 
Of  this  amount  the  excellent  and  well-known  John  Thornton  con- 
tributed fifty  pounds,  and  the  rest  was  made  up  by  Dr.  Gor- 
don, the  Rev.  Mr.  Towle,  Messrs.  Fuller,  Samuel  and  Thomas 
Stratton,  Charles  Jerdein,  David  Jennings,  Jonathan  Eade, 
Joseph  Ainsley,  and  John  Field,  of  Thames  street.  Of  the 
money  collected,  forty-three  pounds  one  shilling  were  expended 
on  books,  and  twenty-eight  pounds  ten  shillings  on  an  air-pump, 
microscope,  telescope,  and  prisms.  The  cases,  freight,  shipping, 
insurance,  &c.,  at  four  different  periods,  came  to  eight  pounds 
eleven  shillings.* 

This  library  was  placed  in  jhe  hands  of  Mr.  Rice  by  Mr. 
Todd,  with  the  consent  of  Dr.  Gordon,  for  the  use  of  students  of 
theology  in  Kentucky,  under  the  care  of  the  Presbytery  of 
Transylvania.  On  the  15th  of  September,  1797,  the  Presbytery 
passed  an  order,  directing  these  books  to  be  delivered  by  Mr. 
Rice  to  the  trustees  of  Kentucky  Academy.f  They,  at  the 
same  time,  formally  surrendered  to  the  trustees  their  care  of 
Pisgah  Grammar-School,  with  their  right  to  the  house  in  which 


*  Winterbotham's  Historical  View  of  the  United  States,  vol.  iii.  p.  155.  Mr. 
Winterbotham  supposes  that  the  books  thus  purchased  and  given  constituted 
the  main  part  of  the  Lexington  library  ;  and  adds,  that  as  this  account  of  the 
library  is  diiferont  from  that  of  Mr.  Morse,  and  other  writers,  he  thinks  it  proper 
to  inform  tlie  pui)hc,  that  he  inserts  the  above  at  the  desire  of  Dr.  Gordon  him- 
self. But  the  history  of  the  Lexington  Library  by  the  directors  is  as  follows  : 
That  in  179G,  the  library  of  the  Transylvania"  Seminary  being  small,  and  no 
private  libraries  in  the  neighborhood,  tlie  library  company  was  formed,  for  the 
ioint  benefit  of  the  students  and  citizens.  One  hundred  shares  were  taken, 
(equal  to  $500,)  with  wliich  400  volumes  were  purchased ;  and  the  whole  de- 
posited in  the  Seminary,  under  the  name  of  the  Transylvania  Library.  The 
books  were  not  long  after  removed  to  a  more  comuiodious  situation,  with  the 
consent  of  the  trustees,  and  assumed  the  name  of  the  Lexington  Library  ;  since 
which  time  it  has  been  increased  to  the  number  of  8,000  or  9,000  volumes.  From 
this  narrative  it  would  appear  that  only  the  400  books  constituting  the  town 
library  had  been  removed,  and  those  originally  belonging  to  the  seminary  left 
untouched.  See  the  narrative  prefixed  to  the  Catalogue  of  the  Lexington  Li- 
brary, 1821,  p.  15. 

f  Min.  Trans.  Pby.  vol.  ii.  p.  152. 


294  TRANSYLVANIA    UNIVERSITY 

it  was  taught,  and  all  lands  given  for  its  use,  to  be  disposed  of 
for  the  benefit  of  the  Academy. 

The  Grammar-School  had  been  put  in  operation  at  Pisgali, 
near  Lexington,  immediately  on  the  issuing  of  proposals,  and  the 
tuition  fixed  at  four  pounds  per  annum.  Mr.  Andrew  Steel  was 
appointed  by  Presbytery  the  teacher.  April  13th,  1796,  he  was 
succeeded  by  James  Moore,  and  Mr.  Moore  again,  Oct.  6th, 
1797,  by  John  Thomson.* 

The  college  was  opened  in  the  fall  of  1797,  at  Pisgah,  the 
offers  from  that  neighborhood  being  more  advantageous  than 
those  from  Paris  and  Harrodsburg.f  The  Presbyterians  having 
now  concentrated  all  their  patronage  upon  their  own  college 
and  grammar-school,  and  having  in  their  hands  a  supply  of  ac- 
tive funds,  speedily  outstripped  the  seminary  at  Lexington. 
Toulmin,  after  a  brief  career,  had  resigned  for  the  more  lucra- 
tive and  exalted  office  of  Secretary  of  State  ;  and  the  institution 
was  reduced  to  a  pitiable  destitution,  notwithstanding  the  recall 
of  Mr.  Moore,  and  the  attempt  of  the  citizens  to  render  it  more 
attractive  by  the  establishment  of  a  library  of  four  hundred 
volumes.J 

The  leaders  at  Lexington  now  took  the  alarm ;  and  waking,  at 
last,  to  a  sense  of  their  folly,  endeavored  to  rescue  Transylvania 
Seminary  from  the  utter  insignificance  into  which  she  seemed 
about  to  fall,  by  conciliating  the  Presbyterians,  and  courting 
their  alliance.  The  latter  listened  without  resentment,  and  a 
committee  was  appointed  by  each  board  to  confer  on  the  subject 
of  a  re-union.  Every  concession  was  made,  and  every  pledge 
offered  that  the  Presbyterians  could  desire  ;  and  their  ascenden- 
cy, as  they  fondly  but  erroneously  imagined,  was  re-established 
securely  against  all  future  vicissitudes.  Not  yet  sufficiently 
taught  by  experience,  a  still  bitterer  lesson  was  in  reserve  for 
them.  The  provisions  which  allured  them  were  chiefly  these  : 
that  the  new  board  should  consist  of  twenty-one  members,  the 
majority  of  whom  should  be  Presbyterians  ;  that  the  charter 
should  not  be  altered  or  repealed  except  on  petitions  signed  by 


*  Min.  Trans.  Pby.  vol.  i.  p.  127 ;  ii.  pp.  97,  164. 
t  Bisliop's  Rice,  p.  97. 

t  Pamphleteer,  No.  I.,  p.  10.  Memorial  of  Synod  to  the  Legislature,  1824;  on 
file  among  the  papers  of  Transylvania  Pby.     Stuart's  Rem.,  No.  IV. 


AND   CENTRE    COLLEGE.  295 

at  least  eleven,  i.  e.  a  majority  ;  and  as  they  would  be  a  body 
corporate,  filling  their  own  vacancies,  it  was  natural  to  suppose 
that  they  would  be  able  to  retain  their  preponderance  forever. 
By  this  compact,  however,  they  surrendered  the  right  of  ecclesi- 
astical interference  and  control,  and  adopted  for  the  guidance  of 
the  University  the  laws  and  regulations  by  which  it  had  been 
previously  governed.* 

Accordingly,  on  the  22d  of  December,  1798,  the  Legislature, 
on  the  joint  petition  of  the  two  boards,  amalgamated  Transylva- 
nia Seminary  and  Kentucky  Academy,  with  their  respective 
funds,  in  one  institution,  under  the  imposing  title  of  The  Tran- 
sylvania University,  with  twenty-one  trustees,  a  majority  of 
whom  were  Presbyterians,  and  some  of  them  clergymen.f 

It  must  not  be  supposed,  however,  that  this  change  had  the 
approbation  of  the  entire  Presbyterian  community.  There  were 
not  wanting  those  who  doubted  whether  the  original  design  of 
the  Presbytery  was  complied  with ; J  and  it  is  not  unworthy  of 
note,  that  the  hand  of  the  venerable  patriarch,  David  Rice,  is  no- 
where to  be  seen  in  the  transaction,  from  beginning  to  end. 
Could  the  sense  of  the  Presbyterian  body  in  Kentucky  be  taken 
now  upon  the  measure,  it  would  probably  be  almost  unanimously 
adverse  to  it,  and  in  favor  of  the  independent  institution  at 
Pisgah.  Certainly  the  successful  experiment  of  Centre  College 
might  satisfy  the  most  doubtful. 

The  university  commenced  its  career  with  flattering  auspices. 
Three  professorships  were  founded,  with  salaries  of  five  hundred 
dollars  each,  and  filled  as  follows  :  The  Rev.  James  Moore,§ 


*  Pamphleteer,  No.  I.,  p.  10.  Stuart's  Reminisceftces,  No.  IV.  Act  for  the 
Union,  section  5lh,  Littell,  vol.  ii.  p.  235. 

t  2  Littell,  pp.  234-236 ;  where  see  charter  at  length.  The  trustees  were  the 
following:  James  Garrard,  Samuel  McDowell,  Cornelius  Beatty,  Frederick 
Ridgeley,  Robert  Marshall,  George  Nicholas,  James  Crawford,  Joseph  Crockett, 
Bartlett'Collins,  Andrew  McCalla,  William  Morton,  Robert  Steel,  John  McDow- 
ell, Alexander  Parker,  Caleb  Wallace,  James  Trotter,  Levi  Todd,  James  Blythe, 
Thomas  Lewis,  John  Bradford,  and  Buckner  Thruston. 

I  Marshall's  Letter  to  W.  L.  Presby.,  1818,  on  file. 

5  Mr.  Moore  was  received  as  a  candidate  by  Transylvania  Presbytery,  "  upon 
the  whole,"  April  27th,  1792.  Min.  vol.  i.  p.  68.  His  trial  sermon,  the  year 
following,  on  Luke  xiii.  5,  "Except  ye  repent,  ye  shall  all  likewise  perish,"  was 
not  sustained,  and  another  was  appointed.  lb.  p.  106.  April  26th,  1794,  the 
Presbytery,  having  some  doubts  as  to  iiis  experimental  piety,  desired  to  examine 
him  again  upon  that  point  for  the  satisfaction  of  a  majority  of  the  members, 
who  had  not  been  present  at  the  previous  examination.     To  this  Mr.  Moore 


296  TRANSYLVANIA  UNIVERSITY 

Acting  President,  and  Professor  of  Logic,  Metaphysics,  Moral 
Philosophy,  and  Belles-Lettres ;  the  Rev.  James  Blythe,  Pro- 
fessor of  Mathematics,  Natural  Philosophy,  Astronomy,  and 
Geography  :  the  Rev.  Robert  Stuart,  Professor  of  Ancient  Lan- 
guages, who  was  succeeded,  upon  his  resignation  the  next 
year,  by  the  Rev.  James  Welch.  Besides  the  Academical  Staff, 
Law  and  Medical  Departments  were  added  the  next  year, 
(1799,)  George  Nicholas,  Esq.,  being  appointed  the  Professor  in 
the  Law  School ;  and  in  the  Medical,  Dr.  Ridgeley,  Professor  of 
Medicine  and  Surgery,  and  Dr.  Samuel  Brown,  Professor  of 
Chemistry.* 

The  institution  possessed  a  miscellaneous  library  of  thirteen 
hundred  volumes,  a  law  library,  a  medical  library,  and  philo- 
sophical apparatus.  Its  landed  endowment  amounted  to  twenty 
thousand  acres  ;  viz :  eight  thousand,  originally  given  to  Tran- 
sylvania Seminary,  and  six  thousand  more  in  1798,  (part  of 
which  were  situated  in  the  rich  central  portion  of  the  State,)  and 
six  thousand  acres  granted  in  the  same  year  to  Kentucky  Acad- 
emy, (situated  in  the  Green  river  country,)  to  say  nothing  of  the 
sixth  of  the  surveyor's  fees,  the  value  of  which  has  never  been 
ascertained.  Dr.  Miller  estimated  the  lands  to  be  worth  one 
hundred  and  seventy-nine  thousand  dollars.  Mr.  Marshall's 
estimate,  at  two  dollars  per  acre,  would  bring  forty  thousand' 


repeatedly  refused  to  submit.  Whereupon  it  was  the  unanimous  voice  of  the 
Presbytery  that  he  be  dismissed  ;  and  the  occasion  was  taken  to  pass  a  formal 
resolution,  asserting  the  riglit  of  the  body  to  repeat  from  time  to  time  such  ex- 
aminations of  their  candidates,  if  thought  necessary,  until  fully  satisfied.  lb.  pp. 
122,  123.  Mr.  Moore  appears,  however,  to  have  had  warm  friends  in  Virginia, 
where  he  had  formerly  resided  ;  and  among  the  filed  papers  of  Transylvania 
Presbytery,  is  a  letter  from  the  venerable  John  Brown  and  Archibald  Scott,  con- 
taining a  high  eulogium  upon  him.  They  stated  that  his  natural  endowments 
were  superior,  his  acquirements  good,  and  his  moral  character  unsullied.  He 
had  an  excellent  temper,  engaging  manners,  modesty,  humility,  and  tenderness 
of  affection.  He  had  an  apparent  love  of  activity  in  regard  to  social  religious 
exercises,  and  the  management  of  persons  under  first  impressions.  They  thought 
his  modesty,  pious  education,  gentle  temper,  and  smooth  deportment,  must  have 
been  the  cause  of  his  narrative  of  his  religious  experience  being  less  satisfactory 
to  the  Presbytery.  There  are  also  two  letters  from  Mr.  Moore  himself  in  refer- 
ence to  his  affairs,  which  are  well-written,  spirited,  and  indicative  of  talent. 
Displeased  with  the  rigor  of  his  treatment,  he  sought  refuge  in  the  bosom  of  the 
Episcopal  communion,  and  became,  soon  after,  the  first  Rector  of  Christ's  Church, 
in  Lexington. 

*  Lex.  Obs.  and  Rep.,  June  17, 184.3.     Miller's  Retrospect  of  the  Eighteenth 
Century,  vol.  ii.  p.  305.     Marshall's  Letter,  1818. 


AiVD   CENTRE   COLLEGE.  297 

dollars.*     All  estimates  of  the  value  of  lands,  however,  must  be 
very  uncertain,  as  the  market  price  is  liable  to  fluctuate, 

Transylvania  enjoyed  a  moderate  degree  of  prosperity  for  a 
number  of  years ;  not  brilliant  indeed,  but  sound  and  healthy. 
At  the  commencement  of  the  present  century,  it  numbered  sev- 
enty students  ;  of  whom  nineteen  were  in  the  law  school,  six  in 
the  medical,  and  forty-five  were  undergraduates.  In  the  course 
of  a  few  years  Dr.  Blythe  succeeded  Mr.  Moore  as  Acting  Pre- 
sident. The  duties  of  his  station  were  discharged  diligently  and 
efliciently,  and  the  university  took  a  respectable  stand.  The 
curriculum  of  studies  was  the  same  as  that  of  Eastern  colleges, 
with  the  exception  of  classical  learning,  which  was  as  yet  con- 
sidered of  only  secondary  importance.  It  was  regarded  as  the 
nucleus  of  sound  literature  in  the  West,  and  its  influence  upon 
the  intellect  and  morals  of  the  country  would  form  an  interesting 
theme  of  speculation. f 

The  condition  of  the  Finances  was  not  less  sound.  About  the 
year  180G,  the  8,0§0  acres  of  land  granted  in  1780  were  sold  to 
advantage,  at  the  rate  of  $3  75  per  acre,  realizing  the  sum  of 
.$30,000,  which  was  invested  in  234  shares  of  the  Bank  of  Ken- 
tucky, and  66  shares  of  an  Insurance  Company.  This  land  had 
been  previously  let  on  long  leases,  at  a  low  rate,  by  the  Trustees 
of  the  former  Transylvania  Seminary,  and  had  in  consequence 
been  a  very  unproductive  source  of  revenue.  The  leasing  of  the 
lands  for  a  long  period  has  been  censured  as  injudicious,  and  the 
blame  of  the  measure  has  been  thrown  on  the  Trustees  of  the 
University,  as  an  instance  of  Presbyterian  mismanagement,  but 
undeservedly  ;  for  it  occurred  prior  to  their  coming  into  office.J 

The  Trustees  had  so  well  husbanded  their  resources,  (now 
constituting  a  disposable  fund  of  867,532  00,§)  that  they  ven- 
tured at  length  to  indulge  the  long-cherished  wish  of  their  hearts, 
which  was  to  erect  an  elegant  edifice,  and  to  invite  to  the  Pre- 
sidency some  individual  distinguished  for  talents  and  learning. 

But  the  incongruous  union  of  1798,  although  it  appeared  at  the 


*  Miller's  Retrospect,  vol.  ii.  p.  305,  Marshall,  nt  sufra. 

t  Flint's  Ten  Years'  Recollections  of  the  Valley  of  the  Mississippi,  pp.  67,  68, 
Butler's  Hipt.  ofKy.,  p.  187. 

I  Pamphl.  No.  I.  p.  11. 

!j  Of  this  amount  the  new  Board  acknDvvledged  the  recai;  t,  in  their  Report  to 
the  Legislature.     Pamphl.  No.  VI.  p.  2. 


298  TRANSYLVANIA   UNIVERSITY 

time  to  establish  affairs  on  a  firm  basis,  was  far  from  promoting 
permanent  harmony  ;  and  occasionally  the  prelusive  flash  and 
the  muttering  thunder  indicated  a  coming  storm.  There  were 
two  parties  in  the  Board — the  friends  of  evangelical  religion,  and 
the  open,  or  disguised,  abettors  of  deism  and  infidelity.  The 
materials  were  discordant  in  the  extreme.  As  long  as  the  Pres- 
byterians had  the  majority,  they  were  able  to  repress  opposition  ; 
but  unhappily  they  relaxed  their  vigilance,  they  deserted  the 
lofty  ground  which  they  had  occupied  as  conscientious  con- 
servators of  religious  liberty,  and  suffered  themselves  to  be 
swayed  by  worldly  policy.  As  vacancies  occurred  from  time  to 
time,  they  were  filled  not  by  devout  persons  of  the  same  or  like 
faith,  but  by  prominent  political  characters,  whose  popularity 
and  influence  would,  it  was  hoped,  reflect  a  sort  oi  eclat  upon  the 
college.  When,  at  length,  a  crisis  arrived,  there  were  found  but 
seven  Presbyterians  in  the  Board,  out  of  twenty-one  members.* 
For  such  neglect  and  carnal  policy  no  extenuation  can  be  of- 
fered.    Let  it  stand  on  record  as  a  pregnant  tv^arning. 

The  long-suppressed  bickerings  grew  louder  and  more  frequent 
as  the  spirit  of  infidelity  spread  more  extensively  through  the 
community,  and  the  numbers  and  influence  of  the  party  which 
sympathized  with  it  grew  stronger.  It  was  not  an  unusual  oc- 
currence for  one  party  to  rally  all  their  forces  to  thwart  and  dis- 
comfit the  other,  and,  as  they  were  able  to  secure  a  majority,  to 
undo  at  one  meeting  what  had  been  done  by  their  opponents  at 
the  meeting  previous.f  The  Presbyterians,  indeed,  still  had  so 
much  the  ascendency  as  to  secure  successively  the  election  of  the 
Rev.  Drs.  Nott,  Romeyn  and  Lindsley,  Presbyterian  divines,  and 
the  Rev.  Luther  Rice,  of  the  Baptist  persuasion,  all  men  well 
spoken  of  for  their  piety,  orthodoxy  and  learning.  Unhappily, 
neither  of  these  gentlemen  thought  proper  to  accept  the  appoint- 
ment.J  What  happy  results  might  have  followed  from  an  ac- 
ceptance by  any  of  them,  we  are  now  better  able  to  appreciate 
than  they  were  then  able  to  conjecture.  Public  men  should  ever 
consult  the  public  good,  not  private  convenience. 

In  this  state  of  things,  the  name  of  the  Rev.  Horace 
Holley,  of  Boston,  was  proposed  to  the  Board,  by  Mr.  James 


*  Pamphl.  No.  VI.  p.  16.     f  Pamphl.  No.  V.  p.  1.     J  Pamphl.  No.  I.  p.  li. 


AND    CENTRE    COLLEGE.  299 

Prentiss,  (himself  a  native  of  New  England,)  as  a  man  of 
rare  endowments,  and  admirably  adapted  to  build  up  the 
fame  of  the  Institution.  He  was  elected  with  great  cordiality, 
in  1815,  but,  at  that  time,  declined  the  honor.*  In  November, 
1817,  he  wq^  a  second  time  invited  to  the  Presidency,  but  not 
with  the  same  unanimity — a  rumor  having  reached  Lexington 
of  his  being  tainted  with  Socinian  principles.  Dr.  Dwight 
was  written  to  upon  the  subject,  and  his  reply  was  anything  but 
commendatory.  Mr.  Holley's  own  explanations,  in  answer  to 
letters  from  Dr.  Fishback  and  Mr.  Prentiss,  were  extremely 
vague  and  evasive,  laying  claim  to  an  indefinite  Catholicism,  ex- 
alted above  the  trammels  of  the  sects.  In  spite  of  opposition,  a 
strong  effort  was  made ;  and,  parties  being  equal,  the  election 
was  decided  by  the  vote  of  a  politician  of  eminence,  who  had 
been  chosen  and  relied  on  as  a  friend  of  the  Presbyterians,  but 
who  betrayed  their  confidence.  Perceiving  their  inevitable  de- 
feat, the  disheartened  minority  either  withdrew  their  opposition 
or  retired  from  the  meeting ;  so  that  the  final  vote  was  declared 
to  be  unanimous.  Great  was  the  dissatisfaction  throughout  a 
large  portion  of  the  community  when  the  result  was  made 
known. f  But  greater  was  the  surprise  when  it  was  found  that 
the  Legislature,  by  an  arbitrary  and  uncalled-for  interference,^ 
turned  out  the  old  Board  in  February,  1818,  and  appointed  in 
their  place  a  set  of  men,  not  one  of  whom,  whatever  other  merits 
they  might  have  had,  made  any  pretence  to  religion.^  Thus 
was  the  charter  grossly  violated  in  its  fifth  section,  which  pro- 

*  Mem.  of  Pres.Holley,p.  197.    Fishback's  Narr.,  West.  Lum.  vol.  i.  p.  554. 

f  Pamphl.  No.  1.  p.  11;  No.  V.  p.  1;  No.  VI.  p.  14.  Fishback's  Narr. 
West.  Lum.  vol.  i.  p.  556. 

J  Wednesday,  December  3d,  1817,  Mr.  Francis  Johnson,  of  Warren  and  Al- 
len, had  leave,  in  the  House,  to  brint^  in  a  bill  "  to  reduce  the  number,  and  alter 
the  mode  of  electing  the  Trustees  of  Tran.sylvania  University."  It  is  wortliy  of 
note  that  there  is  no  freamble  lo  tliis  bill,  as  if  conscious  of  the  unreasonableness, 
as  well  as  unwarrantableness,  of  the  change!  It  was  referred  to  a  committee 
of  four :  the  mover,  Jesse  Bledsoe,  of  Bourbon,  William  T.  Barrj',  of  Fayette, 
and  Hannan  Bovvmar,  of  Woodford  and  Jessamine.  They  reported  favorably, 
and  the  bill  became  a  law,  iind  was  signed  by  Acting  (Lieut.)  Gov.  Slaughter, 
Feb.  3,  1818.  Journ.  Sen.  No.  1232,  pp.  20,  51.  Acts  of  Assembly  for  1817, 
No.  56,  pp.  554-556. 

5  Marshall's  Lett,  to  Mod.  of  W.  Lex.  Pby.,  March  23d,  1818.  (See  filed 
papers.)  '•  The  new  Board,"  .says  he,  "  contained  not  a  sinfrle  professor  of  reli- 
gion." The  new  Trustees  were  thirteen  in  number,  viz  :  Henry  Clay,  Edmund 
Bullock,  Robert  Trimble,  John  T.  Mason,  jun.,  Robert  WicklifFe,  James  Prentiss, 
Hubbard  Taylor,  John  Pope,  Lewis  Sanders,  Samuel  II.  Woodson,  John  Brown, 
Charles  Humphreys  and  Thomas  Bodley.     Acts  of  Ass.  1817,  No.  56,  p.  554. 


300  TRANSYLVANIA   UNIVERSITY 

vided  that  no  change  or  repeal  should  be  made,  save  *'  on  peti- 
tions of  the  Trustees  of  the  said  University,  signed  by  at  least 
eleven  of  them  ;"*  and  the  Presbyterians  were  unrighteously  dis- 
possessed of  all  their  property,  funds  and  interests  in  an  Institu- 
tion of  which  they  had  been  the  original  founders  and^most  active 
patrons. 

In  the  spring  of  1818,  Mr.  HoUey  visited  Kentucky,  in  order 
to  survey  the  field  and  facilitate  his  decision.  Charmed  with  the 
warmth  and  frankness  of  Kentucky  hospitality,  delighted  with 
the  natural  beauties  of  the  country,  gratified  with  the  opulent 
leisure  and  polished  society  of  Lexington,  flattered  by  the  uni- 
versal attention  he  received,  and,  above  all,  fired  with  the  ambi- 
tion of  placing  himself  at  the  head  of  the  teeming  West,  and  be- 
coming the  father  of  literature  to  a  rising  nation,  his  decision  was 
soon  made  in  favor  of  acceptance.  On  the  19th  of  December, 
of  the  same  year,  he  was  inducted  into  office,  with  a  salary  of 
$3,000,  and  the  fees  for  diplomas.f 

The  Rev.  Horace  Holley,  LL.D.,  (which  title  he  received 
some  time  after  his  accession,)  was  a  native  of  Salisbury,  in  the 
county  of  Litchfield,  Connecticut :  a  town  which  has  been  pro- 
lific of  distinguished  men — the  late  General  Peter  B.  Porter,  the 
Hon.  Elisha  Whittlesey,  of  Ohio,  Judge  Ambrose  Spencer,  the 
Warwick  of  New  York,  and  several  of  the  name  of  Holley.  He 
was  born  February  13,  1781,  and  was,  consequently,  at  this 
period,  thirty-seven  years  of  age,  in  the  prime  of  life  and  vigor. 
His  father  was  a  descendant  of  Edmund  Halley,  the  English 
philosopher ;  he  was  a  self-taught  and  self-made  man — at  first  a 
schoolmaster,  and  afterward  a  merchant.  Horace  assisted  his 
father  in  his  store  till  he  was  sixteen,  when  he  was  sent  to  Wil- 
liamstown  to  school,  and  afterward  to  Yale  College,  where  he 
distinguished  himself  by  his  excellence  in  declamation  and  debate, 
and  became  a  favorite  of  the  celebrated  President  Dwight.  In 
1803  he  graduated,  with  a  high  reputation  for  talents  and  ac- 


*  Sec.  5.  And  be  if.  further  enacted,  That  the  several  acts  of  the  General  As- 
sembly of  the  State  of  Virginia  and  Kentucky,  now  in  I'orce,  prescribing  the 
powers  and  directing  the  proceedings  of  the  Trustees  of  the  said  Transylvania 
Seminary,  shall  be  the  laws  of  the  Trustees  of  the  said  University,  until  amended 
or  repealed  by  the  Legislature,  o7i  petitions  of  the  Trustees  of  the  said  Unicersiiy, 
signed  bij  at  least  eleven  of  them,"  &.c.  2  Littell,  p.  235.  No  such  petition  was 
ever  presented. 

f  Memoirs,  pp.  157,  199. 


AND   CENTRE   COLLEGE. 


301 


quirements.  He  had  also  recently  made  a  public  profession  of" 
religion,  during  a  revival  of  which  many  of  the  students  were 
subjects. 

After  studying  law  for  some  time  in  New  York,  he  relinquished 
it  to  study  divinity,  with  Dr.  Dwight,  in  New  Haven.  Here  he 
embraced  the  Hopkinsian  views,  which  were  then  in  vogue,  but 
which  he  did  not  imbibe  from  his  preceptor.  After  a  brief  settle- 
ment at  Greenfield  Hill,  he  accepted  an  invitation  to  Boston,  the 
metropolis  of  New  England,  and  the  seat  of  literary  taste ;  a 
situation  better  suited  both  to  his  capacities  and  his  ambition. 
He  was  ordained  pastor  of  the  HoUis-street  Church  in  March, 
1809  ;  and  such  was  his  popularity,  that  a  larger  and  more  ele- 
gant edifice  was  soon  rendered  necessary.  In  this  charge  he  re- 
mained for  nine  years,  greatly  admired  and  beloved.  The  in- 
toxicating incense  of  applause,  and  the  temptations  of  the  sphere 
in  which  he  moved,  proved  too  powerful  for  the  disciple  of  Hop- 
kins.* His  theological  views,  perhaps  already  a  little  loose, 
gradually  underwent  a  change ;  and  he  relinquished  that  most 
austere  form  of  Calvinism  for  the  milder  opinions  of  Socinus. 

As  a  classical  and  general  scholar,  Dr.  Holley  was  neither 
profoundly  nor  extensively  read.  The  exact  sciences  presented 
no  charms  for  him.  His  favorite  studies  were  Criticism,  Philo- 
logy, Belles-Lettres,  and  the  Philosophy  of  the  Mind,  especially 
the  latter.  Averse  to  long  and  severe  intellectual  labor,  he 
made  no  new  discoveries,  nor  did  he  extend  the  boundaries  of 
human  knowledge.  With  a  mind  rapid  in  its  operations,  and  a 
memory  extremely  tenacious,  his  ambition  was  to  dazzle  and 


*  Socinianism  made  its  appearance  in  Boston  in  the  latter  part  of  the  eight- 
eenth century.  There  was  a  (rradual  progress,  from  restiveness  under  the  strict 
old  faith,  to  Arminianisni,  Arianism,  and  finally,  Universal  ism,  under  Dr. 
Chauncey.  Priestley's  works  were  freely  circulated,  and  a  correspondence 
maintained  with  him  and  other  English  Socinians.  The  first  man  of  note  who 
openly  espoused  these  views  in  Boston  was  Dr.  James  Freeman,  of  King's 
(Chapel.  Being  refused  Episcopal  ordination,  he  was  set  apart  by  his  congrega- 
tion, in  178G.  They  adopted  Lindsay's  Liturgy.  The  Rev.  Thomas  Oxnard, 
of  Portland,  also  an  Episcopalian,  followed,  with  part  of  his  congregation.  Mr. 
Thatcher  formed  a  Unitarian  Society  at  Saco.  The  new  views  spread  in  Salem. 
In  1794,  a  minister  in  Barnstable,  and  another  in  Plymouth,  became  converts. 
Many  wealthy,  influential  and  public  men  joined  the  new  sect:  Gov.  Bowdoin, 
Gen.  Knox,  (Jen.  Lincoln,  John  Adams,  &,c.  Boston  became  the  head-quarters. 
Nearly  all  the  pulpits  in  that  city  resounded  with  Socinian  sentiments.  The  next 
.step  was  to  get  possession  of  Harvard  University.  West.  Lum.  vol.  i.  pp.  305. 
.306. 

20 


302  TRANSYLVANIA    UNIVERSITY 

impress.  He  loved  disputation,  and  excelled  in  extemporaneous 
harangues.  His  sermons  were  seldom  written,  or  if  written, 
seldom  finished.  Having  a  fertile  intellect,  and  a  ready  com- 
mand of  language,  his  custom  was  to  shut  himself  up  in  his  study 
till  a  late  hour  on  Saturday  evening,  and  again  on  Sunday,  per- 
mitting no  interruption,  even  for  the  morning  or  the  noontide 
repast. 

Nature  had  lavishly  endowed  him  with  her  most  attractive 
gifts.  He  was  remarkable  for  his  symmetry  of  person,  melli- 
fluent voice,  great  vivacity,  fascinating  manners,  splendid  con- 
versational powers,  and  brilliant  oratory.  His  was  the  only 
eloquence  that  was  ever  known  to  betray  a  staid  New  England 
audience  into  forgetfulness  of  their  wonted  propriety,  by  a  noisy 
demonstration  of  applause.  A  premature  baldness,  while  it 
exposed  to  view  a  classical  and  beautifully  modelled  head,  gave 
him  an  appearance  of  age  and  dignity.* 

Such  was  the  individual  to  whose  hands  the  fortunes  of  Tran- 
sylvania were  entrusted.  Never  had  any  man  a  fairer  oppor- 
tunity of  building  up  an  enviable  fame,  or  of  leaving  the  impress 
of  his  mind  on  untold  generations.  His  accession  was  hailed 
throughout  the  West  as  a  new  era  of  vitality  and  vigor  ;  all 
classes  of  society  united  in  his  welcome  ;  all  sects,  even  the  Epis- 
copal and  Associate  Reformed,  threw  open  their  pulpits  to  him  ;t 
and  he  had  it  in  his  power  to  conciliate  friends  and  disarm  pre- 
judice forever.  It  was  at  first  fondly  hoped  that  he  would 
pursue  this  course,  and  some  pledges,  supposed  to  have  been 
uttered  by  him  in  one  of  his  public  discourses,  encouraged  many 
of  the  friends  of  literature  to  trust  that  he  would  not  be  a  dis- 
turber of  the  popular  faith.  J  The  ground  which  it  was  his 
professed  intention  to  occupy,  was  one  which  has  always  had 
attractions  for  the  popular  mind  ;  that  of  a  generous  and  catho- 
lic spirit,  superior  to  the  narrow  trammels  of  sects,  and  recog- 
nizing in  each  a  branch  of  the  great  Christian  family. § 


*  Memoirs  of  Dr.  Holley,  passim.  The  above  particulars  are  chiefly  culled 
from  Dr.  Caldwell's  Eulogy,  and  the  sketch  furnished  by  his  widow.  The 
demonstration  of  applause  alluded  to  was  extorted  by  a  sermon  before  the  An- 
cient and  Honorable  Artillery  Company,  the  only  instance,  Mr.  Pierpont  assures 
us,  ever  known  in  New  England.     lb.  p.  47. 

t  Memoirs,  pp.  154,  156,  157,  1.58.  J  Pamphl.  No,  IV.  pp.  10,  14. 

^  We  have  Dr.  Holley's  creed  at  this  period  preserved  in  a  letter  to  one  of  his 
late  parishioners  in  Boston,  dated  from  Transylvania  University,  July  18th,  1819. 


AND    CENTRE    COLLEGE.  303 

The  Presbyterians  were  not  among  the  number  of  those  who 
were  easily  deceived.  With  the  alertness  of  1798,  the  Synod 
of  Kentucky  took  measures  in  October,  1818,  to  regain  their 
lost  ground.  They  petitioned  the  Legislature  for  a  charter  for 
a  new  college  to  be  located  in  the  town  of  Danville,  but  were 
frustrated  by  the  friends  of  Transylvania.  The  charter  was  so 
modified  as  to  place  the  control  of  the  institution  and  its  funds 
in  the  hands  of  the  Legislature  instead  of  the  Synod. 

The  confirmation  of  officers,  instruction  in  the  Bible,  Church 
History^  and  the  Evidences  of  Christianity,  and  the  engrafting, 
if  desired,  of  a  Theological  Department,  in  which  alone  denom- 
inational tenets  should  be  taught,  were  not  conceded  ;  and  the 
very  name  of  the  Synod  was  studiously  omitted  throughout. 
Severely  as  they  had  been  already  made  to  suffer  for  their  easy 
credulity,  it  would  have  been  surprising  if  the  Synod  had  ac- 
cepted such  an  emasculated  thing.     The  modified  charter  was 


After  some  bitter  censures  on  sectarianism  and  orthodoxy  in  Kentucky,  he  adds  as 
follows :  "  All  that  I  would  say  to  my  late  congregation  would  be  to  repeat 
the  instructions  which  closed  my  ministry  with  them.  Observation,  common 
sense,  reason,  pure  morals,  our  natural  and  irradicable  affections  when  culti- 
vated and  sanctified  by  intelhgence  and  benevolence,  the  social  virtues,  a  catho- 
lic temper,  patience  under  the  contemplation  of  the  fomes  and  prejudices  of 
society,  at  the  same  time  a  love  of  truth  and  a  judicious  zeal  for  its  defence  and 
propagation,  piety  united  to  philanthropy,  such  a  mode  of  Christian  faith  as 
makes  it  harmonize  with  the  works  and  providence  of  God,  such  an  interpreta- 
tion of  the  Bible  as  does  not  institute  a  war  between  the  revelation  by  book  and 
that  by  nature,  the  language  of  encouragement  from  the  lips  of  moderation  and 
experience,  a  deaf  car  to  the  habitual  crimination  of  others'  motives,  a  strong 
reliance  upon  the  wisdom  of  God  in  the  constitution  of  things,  a  steady  belief 
that  all  will  come  out  right  at  last,  good  nature  and  complacency  when  many 
about  us  are  angry,  and  a  persevering  pursuit  of  some  useful  occupation  that 
will  afford  us  a  competency  in  life,  are  the  elements  of  a  wise,  religious,  and 
truly  orthodox  man,  and  will  lead  to  present  happiness  and  future  salvation." 
Memoirs,  p.  223.  In  the  above  extract  the  reader  will  look  in  vain  for  a  single 
distinctive  evangelical  principle. 

But  a  little  anecdote,  which  is  presented  on  unquestionable  authority,  will 
shed  clearer  light  upon  the  subject.  A  short  time  before  his  arrival  in  Ken- 
tucky, Dr.  Holley  paid  a  visit  to  tlie  Rev.  Mr.  Torrey  of  Canandaigua,  N.  Y., 
who  was  then  a  high  Arian.  In  the  course  of  conversation  he  freely  expressed 
it  as  his  opinion  that  the  apostles  and  evangelists  had  written  very  well  for  their 
opportunities,  but  they  had  fallen  into  many  mistakes.  As  for  .Jesus  Christ,  he 
was  not  to  be  considered  a  perfect  character,  for  ho  had  abstained  from  marriage  ; 
an  abstinence  not  a  little  remarkable,  considering  his  attachment  to  Martha  and 
Mary  !  I  !  ]Mr.  Torrey  was  so  shocked  by  this  loose  and  frivolous  conversation, 
that  it  drove  him  to  a  re-examination  of  the  original  Scriptures,  which  resulted 
in  his  abjuring  his  error,  and  embracing  anew  the  Trinitarian  system.  This 
anecdote  is  inserted  on  the  authority  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Cogswell,  late  Professor  of 
Ecclesiastical  History  in  East  Windsor  Seminary,  who  had  it  from  Mr.  T.'.s 
own  lips. 


304  TRANSYLVANIA    UNIVERSITY 

unhesitatingly  refused,  and  they  resolved  to  wait  in  silence  for 
a  more  propitious  time  to  renew  their  application.* 

Encouraged  by  this  triumph,  the  next  step  was  to  get  rid  of 
the  Presbyterian  members  of  the  Faculty,  by  means  of  such 
changes  of  hours  and  duties  as  they  could  not  submit  to  without 
the  greatest  inconvenience.  Dr.  Bishop  was  compelled  to  give 
up  the  chair  of  Mental  and  Moral  Philosophy  to  the  President, 
and  qualify  himself  for  giving  instruction  in  Natural  Philosophy. 
Dr.  Blythe,  who  had  been  superseded  as  head  of  the  institution, 
and  Mr.  Sharpe,  professor  of  languages,  felt  themselves  com- 
pelled to  resign.  To  President  Holley  were  committed  the 
entire  charge  of  the  religious  and  moral  instruction  of  the  stu- 
dents, and  the  duty  of  preaching  in  the  College  Chapel. f  The 
character  of  these  instructions  from  the  pulpit  and  the  chair  was 
such  as  to  justify  the  worst  fears  of  the  evangelical  party. 
At  the  close  of  the  first  session,  the  Lexington  presses  being 
closed  except  to  the  language  of  eulogy,  it  was  in  the  friendly 
columns  of  the  Weekly  Recorder,  printed  in  Chilicothe,  Ohio, 
that  a  writer  under  the  name  of  Spectator,  published  some 
caustic  satires.  The  effect  of  this  fire,  though  distant,  was  so 
vigorous,  as  to  alarm  the  President  and  his  friends.  They  felt 
they  had  thrown  off  the  mask  too  soon,  and  that  they  must 
attempt  to  soothe  and  conciliate  the  Presbyterians.  Dr.  Blythe 
was  recalled,  and  appointed  Professor  of  Chemistry  in  the  Medi- 
cal Department ;  and  vacancies  that  occurred  in  the  Board  of 
Trustees  were  filled  with  persons  selected  from  the  different 
evangelical  denominations.  Among  them  was  Dr.  Fishback, 
a  prominent  Baptist  preacher.J 

Matters  now  went  on  smoothly  for  several  years.  The  Presi- 
dent's popularity  was  unbounded.  Even  the  intractable  Pres- 
byterians were  reduced  to  silence.  It  was  part  of  his  plan  to 
put  them  down  effectually  by  enlisting  against  them  the  jealous- 


*  Pamphl.  No.  V.  p.  3.  Min.  Syn.  vol.  ii.  pp.  126-132,  13G,  138  ;  iii.  pp. 
11,  16.  Charter  of  Centre  College,  p.  1.  The  College  went  into  operation 
under  the  charter  and  the  government  of  its  own  Tnintees.  The  names  pro- 
posed for  the  College  were  very  various,  and  some  of  tliem  odd  enough.  One 
was  the  Kentucky  College ;  another,  proposed  by  the  Board  of  the  Synod  in 
1824,  was  "The  American  Bible  and  Missionary  College."  Filed  papers 
Trans.  Pby.     The  present  title  was  adopted  on  account  of  its  central  position. 

f  Pamphl.  No.  V.  p.  2. 

X  Pamphl.  No.  V.  p.  3.     Western  Luminary,  vol.  i.  p.  670. 


AND    CENTRE    COLLEGE.  305 

ies  of  rival  sects,  especially  of  the  Baptists,  with  whom  he  sought 
to  contract  a  close  alliance,  to  recommend  himself  to  them  by 
the  circumstance  of  his  mother  being  the  daughter  of  a  Baptist 
preacher.*  Everything  conspired  to  swell  his  triumph.  The 
whole  country  rang  with  praises  of  the  University  and  its  bril- 
liant President.  To  this  the  revival  of  the  Law  and  Medical 
Schools  contributed  not  a  little.  It  was  effected  mainly  by  his 
personal  influence  and  unwearied  effort.  In  the  Law  School 
he  voluntarily  delivered  a  course  of  lectures  on  Natural  Law 
himself  without  any  additional  fee.  William  T.  Barry,  after- 
ward Lieutenant-Governor  of  Kentucky,  and  Postmaster-Gene- 
ral of  the  United  States,  was  appointed  Professor  of  Civil  Law  ; 
and  the  gifted  but  erratic  Judge  Bledsoe,  Professor  of  Common 
and  Statute  Law.  The  Medical  School  was  manned  with  six 
professors,  among  whom  Dr.  Blythe  occupied  the  chair  of 
Chemistry  ;  Dr.  Dudley,  the  most  eminent  surgeon  in  the  West, 
filled  the  chair  of  Anatomy  and  Surgery  ;  and  Dr.  Caldwell,  the 
apostle  of  Phrenology  in  the  West,  was  invited  from  Philadel- 
phia to  the  chair  of  the  Institutes  of  Medicine.  Dr.  C.  S. 
Rafinesque,  an  indefatigable  Natural  Historian  and  learned  An- 
tiquarian, was  another  distinguished  member  of  the  corps  of 
Professors.  Nothing  could  be  more  rapid  than  the  remarkable 
rise  of  this  Medical  School  in  public  favor.  In  five  years  from 
its  revival,  the  number  of  its  students  amounted  to  234. f 

Of  a  gay  and  social  turn,  and  connected  with  a  lady  whose 
varied  accomplishments  fitted  her  to  adorn  such  a  scene,J 
the  President's  house  was  the  resort  of  all  who  had  any  preten- 
sions to  taste,  refinement,  literature,  or  political  distinction.  His 
ample  salary,  doubled  in  value  by  being  paid  in  specie  instead 
of  depreciated  Commonwealth  paper,  enabled  him  to  make  fre- 
quent and  sumptuous  entertainments ;  while  statuary,  painting, 
music,  cards,  and  dancing,  attracted  the  young  and  the  gay,  and 
enlisted  troops  of  zealous  partisans.     Strangers  spent  there  their 


*  Letter  of  "  A  Baptist,"  in  the  West.  Lum.  vol.  i.  p.  037.  Waller  Bullock, 
Esq.,  of  Fayette  county  is  a  living  witness,  the  President  having  unfolded  his 
plan  inadvertently  in  his  hearing. 

t  Memoirs,  p.  200.     West.  Lum.  vol.  i.  p.  633. 

J  The  late  Mrs.  I\Iary  Austin  Ilolley  was  a  kinswoman  of  that  enterprising 
man.  Col.  Stephen  F.  Austin,  the  chief  founder  of  the  colony  of  Texas.  Of  her 
visit  to  the  colony  in  1831,  she  published  a  lively  description  in  a  volume  of 
"  Letters." 


306  TRANSYLVANIA    UNIVERSITY 

pleasantest  hours,  and,  captivated  by  his  amenity,  went  every- 
where spreading  his  praises.* 

The  Legislature,  too,  before  whom  Dr.  Holley  preached,  and 
whose  good  will  he  won  by  his  consummate  tact,  at  various 
times  extended  their  liberality  to  the  University.  In  1819, 
they  appropriated  the  bonus  of  the  Farmers'  and  Mechanics* 
Bank  for  two  years,  amounting  to  $,3000  ;  in  1820,  $5,000  to  the 
Medical  School  for  books  and  apparatus ;  and  in  1821,  upon  the 
representation  of  the  Trustees  that  they  were  on  the  verge  of 
bankruptcy,  half  the  profits  of  the  Branch  Bank  of  the  Common- 
wealth at  Lexington,  amounting,  nominally,  to  $20,000  but 
really  worth  only  half  that  sum  in  specie. f 

Nevertheless,  besides  the  public  dissatisfaction  on  account  of 
the  embarrassment  of  the  finances,  the  sermons  in  the  chapel  had 
excited  much  unfavorable  comment ;  and,  in  order  to  tranquil- 
lize the  alarm,  it  was  judged  expedient  to  discontinue  them,  on 
the  pretext  of  the  President's  other  onerous  and  multifarious  du- 
ties.J  But  the  storm  was  only  lulled.  Its  sullen  roar  might  be 
heard  in  the  distance,,  and  the  white-caps  were  already  cresting 
the  advancing  billows.  Soon  was  it  to  burst  in  thunder  on  his 
head. 

The  immediate  occasion  of  the  commotion  was  a  Funeral 
Discourse,  pronounced  by  President  Holley  on  the  death  of 
Col.  Morrison,  Chairman  of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  and  one  of 
the  most  wealthy  and  influential  citizens  of  Lexington. 

Col.  James  Morrison  was  born  in  Cumberland  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, in  the  year  1755.  The  son  of  an  Irish  emigrant,  his 
native  strength  of  mind  gradually  elevated  him  far  above  his 
humble  origin.  He  served  for  six  years  in  the  army  of  the 
Revolution,  and  distinguished  himself  as  one  of  Morgan's  Select 
Corps  of  Riflemen.  After  the  war  he  went  into  business  in  Pitts- 
burg, and  rose  to  be  SherifTof  the  county.  In  1792  he  removed 
to  Lexington,  Kentucky,  then  presenting  an  inviting  field  to  the 
adventurous  and  enterprising.  Here  he  filled,  in  succession,  the 
high  and  important  trusts  of  Land  Commissioner,  Representa- 
tive in  the  Legislature,  Supervisor  of  the  revenue,  under  Presi- 
dent  Adams ;  Navy  Agent,  Contractor  for  the  North-western 

*  Memoirs,  pp.  218,  240.     Pamphl.  No.  V.  p.  4. 

t  Report  of  Comm.  of  Legisl.  1842,  p.  2. 

i  Dr.  Fishback's  letter  to  Mr.  Boon,  West.  Lum.  vol.  i.  p.  686. 


AND    CENTRE    COLLEGE. 

Army  during  the  war  of  1812,  Quarter-Master-General,  Presi- 
dent of  the  Lexington  Branch  of  the  United  States  Bank,  and 
Chairman  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  Transylvania  University. 
Col.  Morrison  was  a  man  of  commanding  appearance,  stern  but 
courteous  ;  of  great  decision  of  character,  native  talent,  wide 
experience,  and  considerable  reading.  He  acquired  immense 
wealth,  which  he  disbursed  in  elegant  hospitality,  judicious 
patronage  of  deserving  young  men,  and  the  promotion  of  letters. 
In  the  winter  of  1822  he  repaired  to  Washington  to  obtain  the 
settlement  of  a  claim  against  government  to  the  amount  of 
^23,000,  for  moneys  advanced  by  him  when  contractor,  out  of 
his  own  pocket,  in  which  he  succeeded ;  but  was  seized  with  a 
disease  which  terminated  fatally  on  the  23d  of  April,  1823,  in 
the  68th  year  of  his  age.  Although  he  was  thought  to  incline 
towards  Unitarianism,  there  is  reason  to  believe  that  his  death- 
bed was  cheered  by  a  more  evangelical  faith.  He  received  the 
visits  of  the  resident  clergymen  of  Washington,  and  joined  with 
them  devoutly  in  religious  exercises.  His  well-used  and  co- 
piously marked  New  Testament  lay  always  on  his  bed,  and  he 
continued  to  read  it,  according  to  his  wont,  as  long  as  his 
strength  permitted.* 

*  See  Dr.  Holley's  Funeral  Discourse,  pp.  8,  9,  10,  11,  12,  31  :  and  Mr. 
Clay's  Letter  in  the  appendix,  p.  34.  All  doubts,  as  to  the  evangelical  character 
of  Col.  Morrison's  death-bed  exercises,  must  be  considered  as  put  at  rest  by  the 
following  extract  of  a  letter  to  the  author  from  the  Rev.  Dr.  Laurie,  of  Wash- 
ington. "  I  had,"  says  he,  "  the  privilege  of  being  often  with  him  during  his 
last  illness,  and  was  present  when  he  drew  his  last  breath.  I  was  present  as  a 
friend,  and  in  my  official  capacity :  and  I  am  sure  that  had  he  expressed  any 
belief  in  Unitarian  doctrines,  or  manifested  any  leaning  that  way,  I  could  not 
have  forgotten  it.  It  would  have  been  my  duty  to  have  endeavored  to  remove 
them,  and  the  issue  would  not  Iiave  been  obliterated.  My  firm  belief  is,  that  he 
had  no  doubts  either  as  to  the  great  doctrines  of  salvation,  or  as  to  his  own  in- 
terest in  them,  and  in  tliat  divine  Saviour,  from  whose  person,  and  obedience, 
and  death,  they  derive  all  their  importance  :  and  the  correctness  of  this  belief  is 
corroborated  by  a  conversation  I  had  yesterday  on  the  subject,  with  the  eldest 
daughter  of  the  lady  with  whom  Col.  Morrison  boarded,  and  in  whose  house  he 
died.  She  was  then  of  full  age,  and  a  member  of  the  Church,  and  had  ample 
means  of  being  acquainted,  as  well  as  myself,  with  Col.  Morrison's  views  of 
the  all-important  subjects  of  Christ's  divinity,  and  the  doctrine  of  salvation 
through  his  atoning  blood.  Her  distinct  recollection  is.  that  he  died  most  hap- 
pily in  the  faith  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  of  those  blessed  doctrines  which 
alone  can  sustain  and  cheer  the  soul  in  the  prospect  of  death  and  ctcniity.  One 
of  her  expressions  was,  that  he  w^s  a  firm  Old  School  believer;  that  is,  his  be- 
lief was  that  of  the  Presbyterians  of  the  Old  School."  In  addition  to  this  te.sti- 
mony,  the  author  records  with  pleasure  the  similar  favorable  impression  made 
upon  the  Rev.  John  Breckcnridge,  then  one  of  th(?  Chaplains  to  Congress,  who 
also  visited  CoL  Morrison,  and  from  whose  own  lips  this  information  was  ob- 
tained. 


308  TRANSYLVANIA    UNIVERSITY 

In  consequence  of  his  long  and  extensive  acquaintance  witli 
the  western  country,  Col.  Morrison  had  been  able  to  acquire 
lands  in  Kentucky,  Ohio,  Missouri,  Illinois,  Indiana,  Pennsylva- 
nia, and  Virginia,  to  the  amount  of  78,886  acres,  estimated  by 
him,  with  his  other  real  estate,  exclusive  of  bank  stock  and  other 
resources,  at  8175,073.  Leaving  no  children  to  inherit  his 
princely  fortune,  and  having  ever  been  a  warm  friend  of  Tran- 
sylvania University,  he  bequeathed  to  it  $20,000,  to  found  a 
Library,  or  a  Professorship,  bearing  his  name,  of  which  the 
Trustees  elected  the  latter.  He  also  left  it  a  residuary  legacy, 
upon  the  demise  of  his  widow,*  which  was  estimated  at  about 
$40,000,  to  found  another  edifice  for  the  use  of  the  University. 
to  be  called  Morrison  College.f  Upon  the  destinjction  of  the 
old  edifice  by  fire  a  few  years  after,  the  executor,  Mr.  Clay, 
thought  himself  justified  in  anticipating  this  fund  for  the  erection 
of  the  present  elegant  structure,  at  a  cost  of  about  $30,000. 

In  honor  of  so  munificent  a  patron  of  letters,  the  Trustees, 
Faculties,  and  Students  of  the  University,  together  with  a  great 
concourse  of  citizens,  repaired  in  procession  to  the  Episcopal 
church,  on  Monday,  the  19th  of  May,  to  hear  a  Funeral  Dis- 
course from  President  Holley.  In  this  discourse,  which  was 
written  in  an  agreeable  and  flowing  style,  the  speaker  took 
occasion  to  sneer  bitterly  at  the  bigotry  of  Sectarians,  and  to 
recommend  Socinian  sentiments  under  the  cover  of  the  honored 
dead ;  whom  he  described  as  a  liberal  and  large-minded  Chris- 
tian, regarding  virtue  as  the  most  acceptable  homage  to  the 
Deity,  and  esteeming  Papist,  Protestant,  and  Pagan,  as  having 
equal  claims  to  the  divine  favor. J  Although  he  afterwards  dis- 
claimed the  imputation,  some  passages  were  interpreted  as  not 
equivocally  teaching  that  education  was  the  passport  to  Heaven, 
and  gave  to  religion  and  immortality  their  chief  value  ;  and  that 
such  an  act  as  Jefferson's  founding  of  the  University  of  Virginia, 
was  not  only  an  admirable  illustration  of  the  dignity  of  retire- 


*  Esther,  daucjhter  of  the  Hon.  John  Montgoraerj-,  of  Carlisle,  Pa.,  an  early 
and  distinguished  patron  of  Dickinson  College,  over  which  his  son-in-law,  the 
late  Dr.  Robert  Davidson,  presided  after  the  ^decease  of  the  learned  and  witty 
Dr.  Nisbet.  The  late  Hon.  John  Montgomery,  mayor  of  the  city  of  Baltimore. 
was  her  brother. 

+  See  the  printed  copy  of  the  Will,  pp.  4,  11,  23. 

t  Disc.  pp.  18, 19,  20.  On  page  I9th  is  an  allusion  in  this  connection  to  the 
infidel  fable  of  the  wolf  muddying  the  stream  above. 


AND    CENTRE    COLLEGE.  3O9 

ment,  but  was  also  •'  an  effectual,  honorable  preparation  for 
eternity."* 

As  might  have  been  expected,  this  production  elicited  a  sharp 
newspaper  controversy,  and,  taken  in  connection  with  the  pub- 
lication of  the  "  Transylvania  Theses,''  or  Latin  exercises  of  the 
Students,  shed  no  doubtful  light  on  the  character  of  the  instruc- 
tion given  in  the  University.  Some  of  these  Theses  defended 
the  propositions  "  that  revealed  may  be  called  only  a  picture  of 
rational  religion,  since  it  has  only  the  same  principles  expressed 
in  words  ;  and  that  either  will  conduct  men  to  Heaven,  provided 
they  faithfully  follow  it."t 

In  October  the  Synod  sat  in  Lexington,  and  some  of  their 
transactions  attracted  no  small  attention  and  obloquy.  They 
gave  great  offence  by  stating,  in  the  Narrative  of  Religion,  the 
prevalence  of  infidelity  in  Lexington  and  other  prominent  places. 
But  what  drew  down  the  severest  indignation  was  the  renewal 
of  the  project  of  a  rival  college  in  Danville.  Conceiving  cir- 
cumstances more  propitious  than  before,  the  Synod  resolved  to 
establish,  without  delay,  an  institution  under  their  own  control, 
in  which  Biblical  instruction  should  be  given,  and  the  Trustees 
and  teachers  should  be  of  their  own  communion.  Six  Solicitors 
were  appointed,  and  nine  Trustees.  The  Trustees  were  direct- 
ed to  meet  at  Danville  at  the  end  of  the  month,  with  authority 
to  confer  with  the  Trustees  of  Centre  College,  and  effect  a  re- 
organization if  practicable,  and  in  case  the  Legislature  should 
refuse  to  grant  a  charter,  then  to  go  on  independently.  The 
Conference  took  place,  and  every  thing  was  arranged  harmo- 
niously to  meet  the  views  of  the  Synod.  J 

*  Disc.  pp.  12,  24,  26,  35.  t  Pamplil.  No.  III.  p.  0. 

t  Pamphl.  No.  V.  p.  5.  Min.  Syn.  vol.  iii,  pp.  66-73.  The  names  of  the 
Trustee.«i  appointed  are  as  follows : — William  W.  Martin,  Archibald  Cameron, 
William  K.  Stuart,  Thomas  Cleland,  D.D.,  Nathan  H.  Hall,  John  McFarland, 
Robert  Stuart,  ministers  ;  and  James  Stonestrect  and  Benjamin  Mills. 

Some  passages  in  the  Report  of  the  Committee,  on  the  expediency  and  prac- 
ticability of  the  plan,  are  worthy  of  preservation.  It  stated,  that  in  consequence 
of  the  Church  neglecting  the  baptized  youth,  the  ministry  was  ill  supplied,  while 
other  professions  were  crowded.  Frorii  1620  to  1720,  a  period  when  the  Church 
paid  attention  to  the  education  of  youth,  more  than  half  of  all  the  graduates  of 
the  American  Colleges  entered  the  ministry;  from  1720  to  1770,  ane-lhird ; 
from  1770  to  1800,  one- fifth ;  from  1800  to  1810,  one-sixth;  and  for  several 
years,  in  the  western  country,  it  might  be  safely  said,  not  one-twentieth.  The 
irreligious  had  so  managed  and  taken  advantage  of  the  remissness  of  the  Church, 
as  to  get  into  their  hands  both  colleges  and  elementary  schools.  Min.  Syn. 
vol.  iii.  p.  67. 


310  TRANSYLVANIA    UNIVERSITY 

While  the  Synod  as  a  body  were  pursuing  such  energetic 
measures,  some  of  its  members  started  a  project  on  their  own 
individual  responsibility,  which  proved  no  inconsiderable  means 
of  annoyance.  The  presses  of  Lexington  being  closed,  on  the 
principles  of  Demetrius  the  Ephesian,  to  everything  but  panegy- 
ric, the  Rev.  John  McFarland,  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
in  Paris,  twelve  miles  distant,  resolved  to  issue  a  periodical  under 
the  title  of  "  The  Literary  Pamphleteer,"  for  the  purpose  of 
exposing  the  mal-administration  of  aflairs  in  the  State  University. 
Six  numbers  were  published  in  the  course  of  the  winter.*  The 
first  number  contained  a  stringent  article  from  the  pen  of  the 
Rev.  Robert  Stuart,  under  the  signature  of  "  A  Citizen,"  in  which 
he  pointed  out  the  wasteful  expenditure  of  the  funds,  and  animad- 
verted upon  the  character  of  the  President  as  an  abettor  of  irreli- 
gious and  deistical  sentiments,  and  a  notorious  frequenter  of  the 
ball-room,  the  theatre,  and  the  race-course.  This  bold  attack, 
vigorously  followed  up,  made  a  great  sensation.  The  Legisla- 
ture took  up  the  subject,  and  a  Committee  of  Investigation  was 
appointed.  But  the  Trustees  interposed  so  many  delays  and 
difficulties,  that  the  Committee  were  only  ablcto  report  a  shame- 
ful negligence  of  duty  on  the  part  of  the  Treasurer  and  Clerk, 
who  "  had  for  many  years  kept  their  accounts  with  little  regard 
to  method  or  regularity."  The  rising  of  the  Legislature  two 
days  afterward,  prevented  any  farther  action  on  the  subject ; 
the  promised  vouchers  and  explanations  were  never  produced  ; 
and  the  debt  of  ^20,000,  in  1821,  remains  unaccounted  for  to  this 
day.f 

In  addition  to  financial  prodigality,  startling  disclosures  were 
made  of  the  nature  of  the  President's  instruction  to  his  classes, 
attested  by  the  certificates  of  certain  alumni,  respectable  ear- 
witnesses,  whose  religious  feelings  had  been  shocked  in  the  ex- 
treme. It  appeared  that  the  President  was  in  the  habit  of  hold- 
ing up  to  ridicule  the  evangelical  tenets  of  human  depravity,  the 
efficacy  of  prayer,  the  real  personality  of  the  devil,  the  creation 


*  It  appeared  as  an  octavo  of  16  pages.  The  imprint  bore  the  curious  infor- 
mation, "  Price  6-i  cents  Specie,  or  125  Commonwealth."  The  editor  complain- 
ed that  of  the  copies  of  the  first  number  sent  to  Lexington,  to  Frankfort  for  the 
vise  of  the  Assembly,  and  elsewhere,  a  great  number  were  intercepted  by  some 
unfriendly  hands,  and  never  reached  the  persons  for  whom  they  were  intended. 
Pamph.  No.  V.  p.  6. 

f  Journal  of  Senate,  Jan.  6,  1824. 


AND    CENTRE    COLLEGE.  311 

of  the  world  in  six  days,  and  tlie  doctrine  of  Christ  crucified. 
It  was  part  of  his  instructions  in  morals,  when  speaking  of  the 
passions,  "  Young  gentlemen,  whatever  you  find  within  you, 
cherish  it,  for  it  is  a  part  of  your  nature ;  restrain  it  not."*  A 
strange  infatuation  seemed  to  have  blinded  the  President's  eyes 
to  the  indiscretion  of  such  a  course,  and  to  the  folly  of  braving 
public  opinion,  surrounded  as  he  was  by  numbers  whose  confi- 
dence a  wiser  policy  would  have  led  him  to  conciliate,  even  at 
the  expense  of  suppressing  his  private  sentiments.f 

Such  disclosures  as  these,  not  made  in  a  covert  way,  but 
openly  supported  by  responsible  names,  could  not  be  published 
without  exciting  some  sensation.  To  calm  the  tumult,  a  portion 
of  the  Senior  Class  were  induced  to  put  forth  a  counter-state- 
ment, denying  the  imputations  of  the  "Citizen,"  as  false  and 
groundless.  J  Four  of  the  Professors  also,  from  the  Law  and 
Medical  Faculties,  Professors  Barry,  Bledsoe,  Dudley,  and  Cald- 


*Pamph.  No.  IV.  p.  5.  No.  VI.  p.  10-15.  See  also  an  attempted  defence 
by  a  partial  pen,  in  tlie  Appendix  to  Memoir.s,  pp.  217-221.  The  open  and  un- 
disguised assaults  made  by  President  Holley  upon  evangelical  religion  were  so 
virulent,  that  the  reader  would  scarcely  credit  the  narrative  without  illustrations, 
which,  revolting  as  is  the  task,  shall  be  given  as  a  specimen.  Ridiculing  one 
day  the  doctrine  of  human  depravity,  says  a  graduate,  he  told  the  following 
anecdote  :  "  One  of  those  men,  (a  believer  in  the  above  doctrine.)  and  a  Quaker, 
put  up  at  the  same  public  house  for  the  purpose  of  lodging  all  night.  After 
supper,  they  were  both  shown  into  the  same  room  in  which  to  rest,  and  as  was 
his  custom,  the  former  knelt  beside  his  bed  and  commenced  saying  his  prayers, 
in  which  he  repeatedly  confessed  himself  a  sinner,  deserving  God's  punishment, 
&c.  After  he  had  finished,  the  Quaker  took  his  hat  for  the  purpose  of  retiring  ; 
"  Are  you  not  to  rest  with  me  to-night?"  said  the  religious  man  to  the  Quaker. 
"  No,  sir,"  .said  he, "  I  cannot  sleep  witli  such  a  scoundrel  as  thou  confesses!  thyself 
to  be."  Pamj)h.  No.  IV.  p.  5.  The  ne.\t  example  is  as  little  favorable  to  the 
elegant  style  of  the  Professor  of  Belles-Lettres,  as  to  his  piety.  "  We  were 
present,  and  heard  Mr.  Holley  ask,  '  What  do  you  think  of  those  who  go  about 
the  country  like  braying  asses,  and  telling  God  what  poor  hell-deserving  scoundrels 
they  are,  and  who  burn  brimstone  under  the  noses  of  the  people.'  [Signed,] 
Geo.  W.  Ashbkidge,  Simeon  Cuane."  Pamph.  No.  VI.  p.  11.  These  two 
gentlemen  were  graduates  of  1823  ;  they  afterwards  became  useful  and  respect- 
ed ministers  in  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  their  memory  is  held  in  honor  by 
all  who  knew  them. 

f  His  panegyrist,  Dr.  Caldwell,  acknowledges  that  he  cannot  be  exonerated 
from  blame  in  this  respect,  and  adds,  "  Truth  compels  me  to  record  it  as  an  in- 
structive example,  and  a  solemn  warning  of  the  fate  that  awaits  the  most  muni- 
ficent endowments,  and  the  highest  competencies,  when  a  becoming  deference 
to  public  .sentiment  is  unyieldingly  withheld.  For  to  that  unyieldingness,  car- 
ried to  excess,  is  to  be  attrii)ute(l,  in  the  present  instance,  not  a  little  of  the 
catastroi)he,  [  '  his  melancholy  failure,'  just  before  alluded  to,]  which  both  we 
ourselves,  and  the  conununity  at  large,  so  fervently  lament."  Caldwell's  Dis- 
course, Memoirs,  p.  73. 

I  Pamph.  No.  III.  p.  13. 


312  TRANSYLV^ANIA    UNIVERSITY 

well,  felt  the  juncture  so  fraught  with  peril,  that  they  volunteered 
a  publication,  declaring  their  entire  persuasion  that  the  President 
had  never  directly  or  indirectly  inculcated  on  his  pupils  opinions 
unfriendly  to  sound  Christianity.  The  public  smiled  at  such  tes- 
timonials from  gentlemen  who,  however  great  were  their  admit- 
ted learning  and  abilities,  had  never  been  suspected  of  erring  on 
the  side  of  excessive  devotion.* 

The  Trustees,  waking  at  last  to  a  sense  of  their  danger, 
endeavored  to  regain  confidence  by  supplying  the  defect  in  the 
religious  instruction  of  the  University.  After  long  and  earnest 
discussions,  protracted  through  several  months,  they  adopted  on 
the  5th  of  April,  1824,  a  plan  for  having  divine  service  perform- 
ed in  the  chapel  every  Sabbath  morning,  in  turn,  by  a  clergy- 
man of  one  of  the  prominent  religious  denominations  in  the  town, 
viz :  the  Roman  Catholic,  Episcopalian,  Presbyterian,  Baptist, 
and  Methodist.f  The  two  Presbyterian  pastors,  Nathan  H. 
Hall  and  John  Breckenridge,  regarding  the  invitation  as  a  hollow 
stratagem,  decidedly  refused  to  have  anything  to  do  with  it.J 
Dr.  Fishback  very  soon  grew  heartily  sick  of  it  himself.  Visitors, 
by  the  plan,  having  been  permitted  to  ask  questions  during  the 
examinations  on  religion  and  ethics,  he  was  brought  on  one  of 
these  occasions,  into  direct  collision  with  the  President,  on  points 
connected  with  divine  revelation.  Convinced  of  the  fruitlessness 
of  preaching  in  the  chapel  when  the  President  could  neutralize 
every  discourse  through  the  week,  he  resigned  his  post  both  as 
preacher  and  Trustee.  No  sooner  was  he  known  to  have  taken 
a  stand  against  Dr.  Holley,  than  vituperation  was  showered 
upon  him  as  plentifully  as  panegyric  before  ;  and  he  was  abused 
in  unmeasured  terms,  for  prejudice,  vanity,  fickleness,  and  be- 
coming a  tool  of  the  Presbyterians.  § 

The  publication  of  the  Plan  of  Reform  was  the  signal  for  a 
deluge  of  small  pamphlets,  replete  with  irony  and  satire,  which 
proved,  like  those  light  darts  with  which  Marius  contrived  to 


*  Pres.  Holley  and  Infidelity,  p.  5. 

t  This  measure  had  been  originally  proposed  more  tlian  a  year  before  by  Dr. 
Fishbaf'k,  and  was  modified  by  the  President's  adding  the  Roman  Catholics. 
See  Dr.  Fishback's  letter  in  the  Western  Luminary,  vol.  i.  p.  585.  Mem.  of 
Holley,  pp.  2-27-234. 

I  Memoirs,  p.  234.     West.  Lum.  vol.  i.  p.  601. 

§  Lett,  in  West.  Lum.  vol.  i.  pp.  570,  587,  588. 


AND    CENTRE    COLLEGE.  3l3 

entangle  and  embarrass  his  opponents,*  more  annoying  than 
weapons  of  heavier  caUbre.  The  President's  friends,  on  their 
part,  besides  caustic  communications  in  the  Western  Monitor, 
pubUshed  a  pamphlet  in  his  vindication,  magnifying  tiic  services 
he  had  rendered  to  the  cause  of  letters. f 

But  vain  were  now  all  attempts  to  oppose  the  swelling  tide  of 
public  sentiment.  This  was  a  luckless  year  for  the  President. 
He  had  the  mortification  of  seeing  three  rival  colleges  starting 
up  around  him  into  vigorous  life.  The  man  in  the  Faculty  whom 
he  most  disliked,  Professor  Bishop,  (doctorated  the  following 
year  by  Princeton,)  left  him  to  assume  the  Presidency  of  Miami 
University,  in  Ohio.  The  hated  Synod,  too,  at  last  succeeded  in 
getting  their  institution,  with  a  decidedly  religious  character, 
under  way ;  and  the  Roman  Catholic  Bishop,  Flaget,  had 
immediately  thereupon  obtained  a  charter,  still  more  favorable, 
for  St.  Joseph's  College  at  Bardstown.  So  abortive  proved  the 
Plan  of  Reform  which  had  hoped,  by  the  bribe  of  admitting 
Romish  priests  into  the  University  chapel,  to  give  a  sop  to  the 
ever  wakeful  Cerberus. 

The  amended  charter  of  Centre  College  was  all  that  could  be 
desired,  although  it  met  with  violent  opposition  previous  to  its 
passage.J     The  old  Trustees,  finding  their  funds  inadequate, 


*  The  titles  of  these  pamphlets  were  as  follows :  Extracts  from  a  Unitarian 
Catechism;  pp.  1-2.  President  Holley  not  the  Transylvania  University  ;  pp.  19. 
President  Holley  and  Infidelity  ;  pp.  8.  Remarks  on  the  Controversy,  hy  a  Dis- 
tant Observer ;  p|).  8.  Two  Letters  on  the  Plan  of  Reform,  by  Omicron;  pp.16. 
Two  Letters  to  Horace  Holley,  LL.D.,  by  Omega;  pp.  23,  &-c. 

t  Memoirs,  app.  pp.  191,  202. 

X  The  prominent  opponent  was  a  Baptist,  whose  family  connections  were  deep- 
ly and  personally  interested  in  the  prosperity  of  the  University.  He  quoted 
from  a  great  niunber  of  books,  and  made  a  violent  phillippic,  to  show  that  the 
Presbyterians  on  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic  had  always  burned  with  the  lust 
of  domination,  and  the  desire  of  uniting  Church  and  State.  When  he  had  ended, 
a  member,  (Col.  James  Davidson,  now  the  State  Treasurer.)  a  man  of  much 
dry  humor  and  a  deep  sonorous  voice,  gravely  told  a  simple  anecdote,  by  way  of 
illustrating  the  terrors  which  had  been  so  awfully  presented.  An  Irish  redemp- 
tioner  in  Maryland  lost  himself  one  evening  in  the  woods.  lie  had  heard  a 
great  deal  of  the  Indians,  and  the  novel  sights  and  sounds  around  him  inspired 
him  with  such  alarm,  that  he  climbed  up  into  a  tree  for  s;ifety,  and  there  spent 
the  sleepless  night.  On  being  found  the  next  day,  he  told  through  what  perils 
he  had  passed.  The  fire-flics  he  mistook  for  the  torches  of  the  savages  in  quest 
of  him  ;  while  his  agitated  fancy  interpreted  the  doleful  screams  of  the  Whip-poor- 
wills  into  menaces  of  destruction,  crying,  "whip  him  well!  whip  him  well! 
cut  and  slash  !"  "  and  the  fire  flew  all  the  time,"  lie  said,  "  like  the  de'il."  In 
short,  "  he  did  not  know  what  would  have  become  of  him,  had  it  not  been  for 
the  swate  birds  of  heav.en,  (meaning  the  bull-frogs,)  who  kept  calling  out, 


314 


TRANSYLVANIA    UNIVERSITY 


were  permitted  to  transfer  it  to  "the  body  of  divines  and  elders 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church  of-  Kentucky,"  for  the  consideration 
of  endowing  it  with  $20,000,  the  payment  of  every  fourth  of 
which  sum  should  entitle  them  to  the  election  of  three  trustees. 
No  exclusive  privileges  were  conferred,  but  only  the  right  to 
control  their  own  funds.  Religious  instruction  migh  be  given, 
and  a  theological  department  added,  but  no  pupilxa  to  bepnp 
on  account  of  his  religious  opinions.  The  Legislature  reserved 
the  right  of  alteration  and  repeal,  should  they  think  the  public 
o-ood  required  either,  in  which  case  the  funds  should  be  restored 
to  the  Synod,  subject  to  their  disposition.* 

The  Synod  also  memorialized  the  Legislature,  by  their  com- 
mittee, Messrs.  L  Reed,  James  Marshall,  and  Thomas  P.  Smith, 
claiming  indemnification  for  the  funds  of  which  they  had  been 
violently  and  unrighteously  dispossessed  in  1818.f     But  this  the 


'  Motheration  !  motheration  !'  "  "  Now,"  said  Col.  Davidson,  "  when  I  heard  the 
honorable  member  conjuring  up  all  those  dreadful  hobgoblins,  they  appeared  to 
me  of  the  same  imaginary  character  as  the  poor  Irishman's  terrors,  and  I  felt  an 
irresistible  impulse  to  rise  up  in  my  place,  and  call  out,  '  Motheration !  mothera- 
tion !'  "  This  ludicrous  anecdote,  narrated  in  his  dryest  manner,  and  with  his 
o-ravest  intonations,  convulsed  the  house  with  laughter.  The  serious  and  in- 
flammatory speech  on  the  opposite  side  was  efTectually  neutralized,  and  the 
friends  of  the  bill,  adroitly  seizing  the  propitious  opportunity,  hurried  it  through 
its  final  passage,  before  the  effect  could  be  counteracted.  This  circumstance, 
trivial  as  some  may  regard  it,  is  here  inserted,  not  only  as  a  historical  verity, 
but  for  the  purpose  also  of  showing  on  what  slender  threads  sometimes  hang 
the  destinies  of  great  events. 

*  Acts  of  Assembly,  No.  224,  pp.  64,  65.  See  also  the  printed  charter,  and 
compact  between  the  Trustees  and  Synod,  pp.  3, 4. 

f  An  abstract  of  this  important  document  is  here  furnished  : 

The  Memorial  states  the  fact  on  evidence  that  the  Presbyterians  gave  the 
first  impulse  to  a  system  of  liberal  education  in  Kentucky.  It  names  as  its 
zealous  patrons:  Rev.  John  Todd.  Col.  John  Todd,  Rev.  Uavid  Rice,  and  Hon 
Caleb  Wallace.  The  library  of  Kentucky  Academy  had  been  given  by  Rev.  J. 
Todd  ;  and  a  telescope  is  specially  named,  the  gift  of  Mr.  Swan  of  France. 
The  Board  of  Kentucky  Academy  consisted  almost  entirely  of  Presbyterian 
ministers  and  elders.  This  library  is  now  in  Transylvania  University.  Six 
thousand  acres  of  land  went  with  the  Academy  at  the  union.  The  amount  in 
money,  books,  &c.,  exclusive  of  land,  then  transferred,  was  $7,662.  The  terms 
of  agreement  are  referred  to  as  existing  in  the  archives.  [Unhappily  the  capitol 
at  Frankfort  was  destroyed  by  an  accidental  fire,  Nov.  4th,  1824.  Many  books 
and  papers  were  consumed,  and  among  them  the  document  alluded  to.  West. 
Lum.  i.  281.]  The  charter  was  not  to  be  altered  except  on  the  petition  oieleven 
of  the  trustees.  This  condition  had  not  been  fulfilled.  The  Legislature  of 
1817-18,  repealed  this  clvdrter  againd  the  consent  of  the  Board,  or  rather  trans- 
ferred it  to  other  trustees,  along  with  the  property. 

The  Memorial  then  answers  objections,  as  that  the  University  still  answers 
its  purpose.  It  affirms — 1.  That  the  exact  physical  sciences  were  neglected 
for  ornamental  branches.     2.  The  President's  salary  was  high,  and  boarding  so 


AND    CENTRE    COLLEGE.  '  3I5 

Legislature  refused,  regarding  the  grant  of  the  new  charter  as 
sufficient  indemnification  for  their  grievances. 

The  next  session,  Nov.  7,  1825,  Governor  Desha  in  his  mes- 
sage recommended  an  inquiry  hy  the  Legislature  into  the  dis- 
proportionate salaries  and  extravagant  expenditures  of  the  State 
University,  which,  ever  since  the  year  1818,  the  Legislature 
considered  themselves  as  having  taken  "  into  their  more  imme- 
diate protection."*  He  complained  that  the  State  had  lavished 
her  money  for  the  benefit  of  the  rich  to  the  exclusion  of  the 
poor  ;  (in  order  to  understand  this,  it  must  be  borne  in  mind 
that  the  price  of  tuition  had  been  advanced  as  high  as  $60  per 
annum,  besides  the  other  fees  ;)  and  that  the  only  result  was  to 
add  to  the  aristocracy  of  wealth  the  advantage  of  superior 
knowledge.!  Dr.  Holley  repaired  to  the  capitol  to  counteract 
the  adverse  influences  exerted  against  him,  but  finding  the  case 
hopeless,  retired  in  despair,  without  making  any  attempt.  J 

Troubles  began  to  thicken.  The  intrigue  designed  to  inveigle 
the  Baptists  into  an  alliance  proved  a  signal  failure.  The  Bap- 
tists opened  their  eyes  at  last  to  the  true  character  and  designs 
of  the  President,  and  were  not  to  be  duped  by  the  bugbear  of 
Presbyterian  intolerance.  They  remembered  that  in  Virginia 
the  Presbyterians  and  Baptists  had  fought  side  by  side  to  break 
the  yoke  of  the  establishment  and  establish  religious  equality.^ 
They  felt  indignant  that  the  Episcopalians,  (to  which  sect  Dr. 
Holley  and  his  chief  supporters  were  attached,)  with  but  three 
or  four  churches,  should  govern  Transylvania  University,  while 
they,  with  500  churches  and  40,000  members,  should  not  have  a 


expensive  as  to  suit  only  the  wealthy.  3.  Reprehensible  amusements  were  en- 
courfiged.     4.  The  President  held  irrelijjious  sentiments. 

The  Synod  do  not  hog  the  repeal  of  the  act  of  1SI8,  but  only  to  ascertain  the 
value  of  money,  books,  land,  &-c.,  to  which  they  are  entitled,  and  to  pay  it  over 
to  Centre  College,  or  if  the  Treasury  be  low,  then  an  equivalent  in  vacant  lands. 
This  they  consider  the  more  evidently  equitable,  inasmuch  as  Centre  College 
had  been  required  to  refund  $2,000  before  given  by  the  State.  [This  money 
was  to  be  paid  over  to  the  Asylum  for  the  Deaf  and  Dumb.  Acts  of  Assembly, 
No.  2-24,  p.  65.] 

The  Memorial  was  dated  Shelbyville,  Oct.  18,  1824;  and  was  signed  by  order 
of  Svnod,  by  (iideon  I'lackburn,  Moderator,  and  John  Breckenridge  and  James 
C.  Barnes,  Clerks  pro  tern.     Sec  filed  papers  of  Transylvania  Pby. 

*  This  was  the  language  used  by  the  joint  committee  of  Visitation  in  1826-7. 

f  Journal  H.  R.  No.  395,  p.  16.  |  Memoirs,  app.  p.  266. 

5  The  lion.  Caleb  Wallace,  Judge  of  the  Court  of  Appeals,  had  headed  the 
Presbyterian  petition,  and  conducted  it  through  its  passage.  West.  Lum.  vol. 
i.  p.  637. 


316  TRANSYLVANIA    UNIVERSITY 

single  trustee  in  the  Board  ;  the  only  one  they  had  had  since 
1818  having  been  placed  under  a  moral  necessity  to  withdraw. 
The  atrocious  aspersions  cast  on  that  prominent  individual  they 
resented  as  a  reproach  on  the  sect,  and  rallied  to  defend  his 
character.  Dr.  Fishback  was  himself  called  out  by  their  urgency 
to  publish  a  narrative  of  affairs  since  the  accession  of  Dr.  Hol- 
ley,  with  a  vindication  of  his  own  course.  This  narrative  was 
reprinted,  from  the  Western  Monitor,  in  the  Western  Luminary, 
a  periodical  shortly  before  established  as  an  organ  of  the  Pres- 
byterians ;  and  was  followed  by  a  number  of  pungent  articles. 
In  December,  1824,  an  important  movement  occurred  in  the 
shape  of  a  Memorial  to  the  Legislature,  praying  for  a  Reform 
in  the  University  on  broad  principles.  It  was  got  up  and  cir- 
culated by  Major  William  Boon,  a  Baptist,  and  signed  by  some 
of  the  most  substantial  citizens  of  Fayette  county,  the  bulk  of 
whom  were  of  the  same  connection.* 

Matters  had  now  verged  to  a  crisis.  Harassed  by  the  reite- 
ration of  charges  affecting  his  moral  and  religious  character  ; 
having  become  obnoxious  to  one  of  the  great  political  parties  of 
the  day  ;f  chagrined  at  the  continually  diminishing  number  of 
students  ;J   and  despairing  of  further  aid  from  the  State,  the 

*  See  the  petition  of  the  Baptists  ;  Boon's  Letter  to  Fishback,  calliag  on  him 
for  explanations  ;  Fishback's  Narrative  ;  Boon's  defence  of  Fishback  ;  Letter  of 
"  A  Baptist,"  in  wiiich  he  says,  "  the  eyes  of  the  Baptists  are  getting  pretty  well 
opened  ;"  a  sharp  correspondence  between  the  editor  and  Dr.  Caldwell,  &.c.,  in 
the  West.  Lum.  vol.  i.  pp.  428,  440,  460,  554,  601,  636,  637.  The  Western 
Luminary  was  started  in  Lexington  by  the  Rev.  .John  Breckenridge  and  Cabell 
R.  Harrison,  July  14th,  1824.  It  was  printed  by  Thomas  T.  Skillman,  in 
weekly  numbers  of  16  pages  8vo.,  at  $3.00  per  annum.  Its  subscribers  increased 
in  nine  months  to  900.  Threats  were  at  one  time  dropped,  and  covert  hints  of 
violence,  i.  654.  It  afterwards  assumed  the  ordinary  folio  form,  and  for  a  series 
of  years  did  good  service  to  the  cause  of  truth  and  orthodoxy,  until  the  decease 
of  Mr.  Thomas  Skillman,  when,  after  wavering  some  time  between  old  and  new 
school  sympathies,  it  was  finally  merged  in  the  Cincinnati  Journal,  a  warm 
New  School  paper. 

t  The  Relief  and  Anti-Relief  parties  were  about  this  time  warring  with 
frenzied  bitterness,  and  the  President  was  accused  of  permitting  political 
speeches  to  be  made  from  the  rostrum  of  the  college  chapel.  Memoirs,  app. 
p.  236. 

I  The  number  of  undergraduates  had  declined  from  138  in  1822,  to  107,  in 
1825  ;  a  decrease  of  31  in  the  department  under  his  special  supervision.  The 
total  number  reported  as  in  attendance  in  the  University  was  indeed  an  impos- 
ing array — no  less  than  400  ;  but  of  these  234  W'ere  medical  students,  32  law 
students,  and  27  in  the  grammar-school,  leaving  but  107  in  the  College  proper. 
West.  Lum.  vol.  i.  p.  633.  In  March,  1827,  the  falhng  off  was  still  more  de- 
plorable, the  president  in  his  final  report  stating  the  total  number  to  be  286  ;  of 
whom  190  were  in  the  medical  class,  55  undergraduates,  and  39  in  the  gram- 
mar-school.     Memoirs,  app.  p.  207. 


AND    CENTRE    COLLEGE.  31 7 

President  signified  to  the  Trustees  his  intention  to  resign,  Janu- 
ary, 182G.  Yielding  to  the  earnest  solicitations  of  his  friends 
he  recalled  this  letter  soon  after,  but  the  next  year,  finding  the 
prospect  still  discouraging,  he  again  tendered  his  resignation 
early  in  1827,  and  it  was  accepted.* 

On  the  27th  of  March,  1827,  just  nine  years  since,  buoyant 
with  hope  and  fired  with  generous  ambition,  he  first  entered 
Lexington,  Dr.  Holley  slowly  and  sadly  turned  his  back  on  the 
Garden  of  Kentucky,  a  defeated  and  disappointed  man.  But 
amidst  all  his  mortifying  reverses  he  was  consoled  by  the  faith- 
ful attachment  of  his  adherents.  Lexington  idolized  him  as  her 
brightest  ornament ;  and  he  was  escorted  for  a  considerable 
distance  on  his  way  by  a  procession  of  sorrowing  pupils,  citizens, 
and  friends,  little  dreaming,  any  of  them,  that  "  against  the  day 
of  his  burying  it  was  done." 

He  now  bent  all  his  efforts  to  carry  into  execution  a  project 
designed  for  the  sons  of  the  wealthy  planters  of  Louisiana,  with 
whom  he  was  an  unbounded  favorite.  It  was  entitled,  "  a  plan 
of  education  for  the  few  who  can  aflford  it,"  and  required  for  its 
completion  a  space  of  six  or  eight  years.  It  embraced  excur- 
sions to  London,  Edinburgh,  Rome,  and  other  cities  of  Europe, 
noted  for  their  attractions  in  taste  or  the  fine  arts,  Paris  being 
the  centre  and  chief  place  of  residence.  On  his  arrival,  how- 
ever, at  New  Orleans,  he  was  persuaded  to  abandon  his  plan 
and  to  attempt  to  resuscitate  the  decayed  college  of  New  Or- 
leans. For  this  purpose  a  fund  was  proposed,  of  which  $26,000 
were  subscribed  in  a  few  weeks,  to  procure  the  necessary  build- 
ings and  furniture,  the  subscribers  retaining  the  title,  and  Dr. 
Holley  having  the  sole  control  and  receiving  all  the  profits. 
With  his  usual  sanguine  impetuosity,  and  unmindful  of  the  dan- 
ger of  exposure  under  the  relaxing  fervor  of  a  southern  sun,  he 
entered  vigorously  upon  the  enterprise,  engaged  a  suitable 
house,  made  all  his  preparations,  and  was  momently  expecting 
to  matriculate  a  hundred  and  fifty,  if  not  two  hundred,  students, 
when  he  was  prostrated  by  the  bilious  fever  of  the  country. 
Upon  his  recovery  he  suddenly  decided — contrary  to  advice,  as 
he  was  now  considered  acclimated — to  leave  the  sunny,  sickly, 
debilitating  South  during  the  summer  months,  and  repair  north- 

*  Memoirs,  app.  pp.  208, 215,  234. 
•  21 


318  TRANSYLVANIA    UNIVERSITY 

ward,  in  hopes  that  the  sea  air  would  invigorate  him,  "  One 
breath  of  air,"  he  exclaimed,  "  from  the  northern  shore  of  free- 
dom, though  borne  upon  the  eastern  gale,  were  worth  all  the 
boasted  luxuries  of  the  ever-smiling,  violet-scented  South,  allur- 
ing but  to  destroy."  But  when  they  had  been  a  few  days  out 
at  sea,  in  the  midst  of  a  terrific  storm,  Dr.  Holley,  with  others 
of  the  passengers  and  crew,  was  seized  ,with  the  yellow  fever, 
the  seeds  of  which  had  been  unwittingly  introduced  on  board  ; 
and  on  the  fifth  day  of  his  illness,  the  31st  day  of  July,  his  body 
was  committed  to  the  deep.  Such  was  the  end  of  this  highly- 
gifted  genius,  the  Abelard  of  the  West.  No  sculptured  marble 
marked  the  spot  of  his  last  repose  ;  the  rocky  Tortugas  were 
his  only  monument ;  and  the  hot  gale,  as  it  swept  over  the 
water-loving  mangroves,  sighed  his  requiem.* 

The  manner  in  which  Dr.  Holley  met  the  approach  of  death 
remains  shrouded  in  mystery.  On  the  one  hand  it  has  been 
positively  asserted  that  he  was  appalled  and  unmanned  by  the 
prospect  ;t  on  the  other,  it  has  been  testified  by  his  widow  that 
his  enemies  can  gather  nothing  hence  as  a  ground  of  triumph.  J 
To  what  weight  the  testimony  of  one  who,  according  to  her  own 
acknowledgment,  was  sick  and  unconscious  all  the  time,  is  en- 
titled ;§  or  what  allowance  must  be  made  in  the  judgment  of 
charity  for  the  influence  of  that  delirium  which  clouded  his  last 
momentSjII  are  points  which  must  be  left  with  the  candid  reader. 

Melancholy  is  the  story  which  has  been  narrated — to  the 
Christian  moralist  most  melancholy.  Them  is  needed  but  one 
additional  touch  to  complete  the  sombre  sketch.  It  would  seem 
as  if  Divine  Providence  had  ordered,  in  solemn  vindication  of 
its  offended  majesty,  that  the  only  son  of  the  man  who  had 
almost  deified  human  reason  and  made  its  cultivation  a  passport 
to  heaven,  should  become  an  inmate  of  the  Asylum  for  Luna- 
tics in  the  theatre  of  his  father's  glory,  on  the  funds  of  the  insti- 
tution. 

The  fortunes  of  Transylvania  from  this  time  languished  for  a 
series  of  years.     Rival  after  rival  started  up  in  successful  com- 


*  Memoirs,  app.  pp.  269-290. 

f  This  is  stated  on  the  authority  of  the  venerable  Dr.  Joshua  T.  Wilson,  of 
Cincinnati. 

J  Memoirs,  app.  p.  294.  J  Memoirs,  app.  pp.  290,  293. 

II  Memoirs,  app.  p.  290. 

* 


AND    CENTRE    COLLEGE. 


319 


petition.  Through  the  obstinate  impolicy  of  the  trustees  in 
selecting  a  President  in  whom  the  religious  community  could 
not  confide,  every  leading  sect  in  the  State  was  driven  to  estab- 
lish a  college  of  its  own  ;  and  instead  of  a  single  towering, 
complete,  well-manned,  and  crowded  University,  deserving  of 
the  name,  the  strength  and  the  resources  of  the  country  were 
frittered  into  fractions  ;  and  the  Presbyterians  struggled  to 
maintain  a  half-endowed  college  at  Danville,  the  Roman  Catho- 
lics at  Bardstown,  the  Cumberlands  at  Princeton,  the  Method- 
ists at  Augusta,  the  Baptists  at  Georgetown,  and  the  Campbell- 
ites  at  Harrodsburg. 

The  presidential  chair  was  successively  occupied  by  Dr.  Alva 
Woods,  a  Baptist  clergyman,  and  the  Rev.  Benjamin  O.  Peers, 
and  Dr.  Thomas  W.  Coit,  Episcopalian  divines  ;  but  neither  of 
these  gentlemen,  although  men  of  talents  and  learning,  succeed- 
ed in  repairing  the  broken  fortunes  of  Morrison  College,  or  re- 
tained the  office  longer  than  about  two  years  ;  each  incumbency 
being  followed  by  an  interregnum  of  like  duration. 

The  trustees  had,  by  this  time,  become  completely  sensible  of 
the  error  committed  in  1818,*  and  were  now  willing  to  allure 
back,  a  second  time,  if  possible,  the  Presbyterian  interest.  With 
this  view  they  invited,  successively,  Doctors  John  C.  Young, 
Lewis  W.  Green,  and  Robert  J.  Breckenridge  ;  and  upon  their 
declining,  the  writer  of  these  pages,  who  was  inaugurated  Nov. 
2d,  1840.  The  mere  acquisition  of  a  Presbyterian  Principal,  it 
was  soon  found,  however,  would  not  win  back  the  Presbyterian 
interest  in  a  day ;  absorbed  especially,  as  it  now  was,  in  a 
scheme  to  increase  the  endowment  of  Centre  College  to  one  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars  ;  and  this  experiment  succeeded  no  better 
than  the  former  ones.  So  numerous  and  vexatious  were  the 
embarrassments  by  which  the  new  President  speedily  found  him- 
self surrounded,  that  after  a  vigorous,  but  ineffectual  struggle,  he 
resigned  in  March,  1842.  He  was  immediately  appointed  by 
Governor  Letcher,  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  for  the 
State,  but  this  honor  he  thought  proper  to  decline. 

In  the  ensuing  fall  the  college  was  re-opened,  under  the  pa- 
tronage of  the  Methodist  General  Conference  ;  to  whose  control 


*  See  the  Report  of  the  Trustees  to  the  Committee  of  the  Legislature,  Jan. 
28th,  1842,  p.  7. 


320  TRANSYLVANIA    UNIVERSITY 

it  was  completely  transferred  by  the  Board  of  Trustees.*  The 
Rev.  Dr.  Bascom  was  placed  at  its  head.  In  a  short  time,  in 
consequence  of  the  vigorous  co-operation  of  the  Conference,  the 
college  bade  fair  to  rival,  in  numbers  at  least,  its  palmiest  days. 
Since  the  late  schism  in  the  Methodist  body,  the  control  has 
been  lodged  in  the  hands  of  "the  Methodist  Church,  South." 

Meantime  Centre  College  was  nobly  struggling  with  difficul- 
ties, and  emerging  into  independence  and  prosperity.  The 
Synod  fulfilled  their  obligation,  and  came  into  the  possession  of 
the  right  of  appointing  all  the  trustees,  and  of  every  other  right 
vested  in  the  charter.  In  1828,  on  the  13th  of  October,  they 
attached  to  it  a  theological  department,  or  seminary,  modelled 
after  that  of  Princeton,  and  designed  to  include  three  professors. 
Twenty  thousand  dollars  were  to  be  provided  as  a  fund  for  a 
professorship  of  Didactic  and  Polemic  Theology,  and  on  the  next 
day,  the  Rev.  James  K.  Burch,  a  divine  deeply  versed  in  the- 
ology and  the  constitution  of  the  Churchf  was  inaugurated. 
The  raising  of  the  necessary  funds,  however,  and  carrying  out 
of  the  plan,  were  encumbered  with  so  many  difficulties,  that 
after  a  brief  trial,  the  scheme  was  abandoned  in  1831,  and  has 
never  been  resumed.^ 

The  first  president  of  Centre  College  was  the  Rev.  Jeremiah 
Chamberlain,  D.D.,§  who  served  from  July,  1823,  till  September, 
1826.  On  his  retiring,  the  Rev.  David  C.  Proctor  acted  tempo- 
rarily for  a  year ;  when   Dr.  Gideon  Blackburn  was  inducted 


*  This  was  but  the  consummation  of  a  secret  negotiation,  commenced  some- 
time before,  but  abruptly  broken  off  for  want  of  concert ;  as  was  subsequently 
discovered.  The  compact,  when  completed,  failed  to  receive  the  sanction  of  the 
Legislature,  but  was  carried  into  effect  notwithstanding.  Nor  was  it  effected 
withoiit  opposition.  It  wais  opposed  in  the  Kentucky  Conference ;  it  met  with 
the  frown  of  the  Ohio  Conference  ;  it  was  deprecated  by  the  citizens  of  Augusta 
and  the  trustees  of  Augusta  College  ;  who  presented  a  remonstrance  to  the  Le- 
gislature, urging  that  it  was  a  repudiation  of  plighted  faith  to  that  college,  "  to 
the  support  of  which,"  in  the  words  of  the  charter,  "they,  (i.  e.  the  Ohio  and 
Kentucky  Conferences.)  are  pledged  to  use  their  utmost  and  undivided  efforts." 
Memorial  of  the  Trustees,  pp.  2,  3,  15.  It  was  opposed  in  the  Committee  of  the 
House  of  Representatives,  by  the  friends  of  Augusta  College  ;  who,  uniting 
with  the  friends  of  the  President  of  Transylvania,  (who  had  also  sent  up  a  re- 
monstrance, on  the  part  of  himself  and  Faculty,)  strangled  the  bill,  proposing  its 
sanction,  in  the  birtli.  See  Memorial  appended  to  the  Visiting  Committee's  Re- 
port, Jan.  19,  1842,  pp.  10-13.  Memorial  of  the  Trustees  of  Augusta  College, 
Feb.  3,  1843.     Reply  of  the  Commissioners  of  the  Kentucky  Conference,  1843. 

t  Min.  Syn.  vol.  iii.  p.  163    iv.  pp.  6,  64,  69,  72,  99. 

i  Min.  Syn.  vol.  iv.  p.  247. 

j  Now  President  of  Oakland  College,  Mississippi. 


AND    CENTRE    COLLEGE.  321 

into  office.*  After  three  years  he  resigned,  and  was  succeeded, 
November,  1830,  by  the  Rev.  John  C.  Young,  D.D.,  under 
whose  ripe  scholarship  and  efficient  administration  the  college 
has  attained  a  proud  rank  among  the  institutions  of  the  West ; 
numbering  now  nearly  two  hundred  students. 

Centre  College,  like  many  others,  has,  at  various  times,  been 
severely  crippled  for  want  of  funds,  notwithstanding  the  great 
exertions  made  in  its  behalf;  until, at  length, in  1840,  stimulated, 
no  doubt,  by  the  munificence  of  Lexington  to  Transylvania,  and 
urged  by  a  desperate  emergency,  the  Synod  took  measures  to 
raise  a  sum  sufficient  to  increase  the  endowment  to  one  hundred 
thousand  dollars,  a  large  portion  of  which  has  been  secured. f 
In  1846,  finding  that  the  expenditure  somewhat  exceeded  the 
income,  while  at  the  same  time  an  additional  professor  was  im- 
peratively needed,  the  Synod  resolved  to  found,  within  the  year, 
sixty  free  scholarships  of  five  hundred  dollars  each,  (thirty 
thousand  dollars,)  payable  in  five  annual  instalments  ;  and  urged 
each  church,  that  was  able  to  support  a  pastor,  to  become  respon- 
sible for  one  or  more  scholarships.  J 

This  institution  has  been  of  signal  service  to  the  cause  of  ed- 
ucation and  the  Gospel  ministry  in  the  State  of  Kentucky. 
About  twelve  hundred  students  have   issued  from  its  halls  ;  of 


*  The  early  history  of  the  late  Dr.  Blackburn  is  a  remarkable  instance  of  per- 
severance in  the  face  of  difficulties.  Left  an  orphan  and  penniless,  when  about 
eleven  years  of  age,  (being  defrauded  out  of  the  handsome  patrimony  of  twenty 
thousand  dollars.)  a  kind  schoolmaster  gave  him  instruction  gratuitously;  and 
he  obtained  a  situation  in  a  saw-mill,  where  he  tended  the  saw  from  dark  till 
daylight,  studying  by  a  fire  of  pine-knots.  In  this  way  he  earned  a  dollar  every 
night,  and  made  rapid  proficiency  in  his  studies.  Thus  he  struggled  on  till 
ready  to  enter  college.  To  defray  this  new  expense,  he  labored  as  a  surveyor 
for  four  months ;  frequently  sleeping  in  a  cane-brake,  to  avoid  the  Indians,  and 
having  no  shelter  from  the  rain  but  a  blanket.  lie  received  for  his  pay  fourteen 
horses,  valued  at  forty  dollars  a-piece.  These  he  took  to  Maryland,  and  sold  for 
fifteen  hundred  dollars;  with  which  he  discharged  all  his  debts,  and  went 
through  Dickinson  College.  (Prot.  and  Her.  vol.  ix.  No.  33.)  Thus  early  inured 
to  hardsiiips,  he  was  admirably  fitted  for  the  arduous  duties  of  a  missionary  to 
the  Cherokee  Indians  ;  to  which  he  was  appointed  by  the  General  As>embly,  in 
1803,  when  thirty-one  years  of  age.  In  this  field  he  labored  with  great  success 
for  seven  years,  when  want  of  health,  and  otlier  reasons,  induced  him  to  relin- 
quish his  post.  (Assembly's  Digest,  pp.  373-37G.)  Dr.  Blackburn  was  admired 
as  one  of  the  most  impressive  and  popular  orators  of  the  West.  In  theology  he 
sided  warmly  with  the  New  School  party.  The  last  years  of  his  Hfe  were  em- 
ployed in  a  scheme  for  building  up  a  college  in  Illinois,  by  means  of  an  exten- 
sive land-agency ;  a  certain  proportion  of  all  the  land  purchased  being  appropri- 
ated to  the  college. 

f  Prot.  and  Ilcr.  Oct.  6,  1842.  {  Prcsb.  Her.  Oct.  8,  1846. 


322  TRANSYLVANIA    UNIVERSITY 

whom  one  hundred  became  physicians  ;  two  hundred  and  fifty 
have  studied  law,  and  one  hundred  and  fourteen  have  entered 
the  ministry.  It  may  be  safe  to  assert,  that  of  the  present  clergy 
composing  the  Synod  of  Kentucky,  two-thirds  have  been  edu- 
cated at  Centre  College.  Of  such  importance  has  this  institution 
been,  and  so  much  good  has  it  accomplished  in  the  short  space 
of  little  more  than  twenty  years.* 

The  foregoing  sketch  has  been  given  with  more  minuteness  of 
detail  than  will  be  agreeable  to  the  superficial  reader,  but  the 
accurate  and  profound  thinker  will  not  be  displeased  with  hav- 
ing before  him  full  means  of  information  on  a  subject  which  is 
daily  attracting  increased  interest.  The  necessity  of  Denomi- 
national Education,  after  a  fair  experiment,  has  been  rendered 
of  late  years  very  apparent.  To  attempt  to  dispense  with  it  is 
false  liberality,  and  a  pusillanimous  surrender  of  the  rights  of  the 
Church.  Twice  was  the  power  of  the  Church  evinced  in  the 
triumphant  success  of  her  own  distinctive  schools,  (the  Ken- 
tucky Academy,  and  afterwards  Centre  College,)  while  the 
State  Institution  was  depressed. 

If  the  Church  wishes  to  secure  the  proper  and  sound  religious 
training  of  her  sons,  she  must  have  the  means  under  her  own 
control ;  guarded  against  the  likelihood  of  change.  We  have 
seen  the  radical  mistake  committed  by  the  Presbyterians,  both 
in  1783  and  1798.  Had  they,  at  the  very  first,  asked  for  a 
charter,  recognizing  denominational  control,  they  might  easily 
have  obtained  it.  Then  they  had  the  moral  ascendency  ;  the 
field  was  perfectly  free  from  competition,  and  sectarian  jea- 
lousies were  not  yet  awakened  ;  as  they  afterwards  found  to  be 
the  case,  when  they  established  Centre  College.  Another  error 
into  which  they  fell,  was  to  depend  on  the  arm  of  flesh,  and 
court  the  patronage  of  worldly  men,  and  the  eclat  of  distinguish- 
ed names.  Hence,  in  the  struggle  of  1818  they  were  betrayed  ; 
and  had,  to  their  mortification,  (for  the  second  time,)  a  Socinian 
president  placed  over  them. 

The  Presbyterians  have  often  been  accused  of  bigotry,  when 
in  truth  the  fault  to  which  they  have  inclined,  and  for  which 
they  have  severely  smarted,  has  been  excessive  liberality  and 
the  dread  of  sectarian  odium.     Let  them  at  last  take  warning 

*  Prot.  and  Her.  Aug.  27.  1844. 


AND    CENTRE    COLLEGE. 


323 


from  the  crippled  condition  of  various  State  institutions,  and  from 
the  fate  of  Transylvania  and  Dickinson,  originally  founded  by 
Presbyterians,  and  now  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  Method- 
ists. Let  them  establish  Denominational  Schools,  as  the  Roman 
Catholics  and  the  Methodists  do,  and  provide  instruction  of  a 
superior  and  commanding  character,  and  they  need  not  despair 
of  support.  The  public  will  always  find  out  and  sustain  what  is 
most  deserving  of  patronage.  Let  them  be  on  the  alert,  or  they 
will  find  themselves  thrown  into  the  background,  and  stripped 
of  their  hard-earned  advantages  by  denominations  which  a  few 
years  ago  were  clamorous  against  a  learned  ministry,  but  who 
have  now  seen  their  error,  and  stimulated  by  our  example,  are 
straining  every  nerve  to  become  our  most  formidable  rivals. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 


OLD    AND   NEW    C  O  U  R  T— R  E  V  I  V  A  L  S— S  L  A  V  ER  Y . 

At  the  close  of  the  war  of  1812,  peace  and  security  were 
restored  to  the  frontier,  and  a  great  impetus  was  in  conse- 
quence given  to  emigration.  Land  rose  in  value,  and  towns 
and  cities  sprang  up  as  if  by  magic.  Business  of  all  sorts  reached 
an  unnatural  expansion ;  and  a  perfect  mania  for  speculation 
pervaded  the  country.  To  meet  the  increasing  demand  for  the 
means  of  traffic,  banks  were  multiplied,  based  on  fictitious 
capital.  The  country  was  soon  flooded  with  worthless  paper. 
At  length  the  bubble  burst,  and  involved  multitudes  in  ruin. 
Emigration  was  checked ;  the  inflated  prices  of  land  fell  ; 
business  was  stopped ;  credit  was  at  an  end.  Commercial  dis- 
tress of  the  severest  kind  threw  the  whole  country  into  a 
panic  ;  "  Relief !"  was  the  universal  cry.  Moved  by  the  popu- 
lar clamor,  relief  laws  were  enacted  by  several  of  the  Western 
States  ;  and  notes  issued,  pledging  the  faith  of  the  State  for 
their  redemption.  These  notes  were  hawked  about  in  the  mar- 
ket, and  were  bought  by  speculators  at  one-fourth  of  their 
nominal  value.     The  remedy  proved  worse  than  the  disease.* 

The  Legislature  of  Kentucky  having  chartered  a  bank,  styled 
"  The  Bank  of  the  Commonwealth,"  and  finding  its  notes  depre- 
ciated to  less  than  fifty  per  cent.,  passed  an  act  prolonging  the 
right  of  replevying  judgments  and  decrees  on  contracts,  from 
three  months  to  two  years,  unless  the  creditor  would  accept 
the  Commonwealth  Bank  paper  at  its  nominal  value.  To 
this  measure  was  given  a  retro-active  influence.  The  debtor 
class  were  so  numerous,  and  so  much  embarrassed,  that  it  be- 
came very  popular.      The  whole  community  was  divided  into 

*  Flint's  Hist.  andGeogr.  of  the  Mississ.  Valley,  vol.  i.  p.  180. 


OLD    AND    NEW    COURT— REVIVALS— SLAVERY.  325 

Relief  and  Anti-Relief  parties,  and  every  ordinary  topic  of  politi- 
cal discussion  was  absorbed  in  the  superior  interest  of  this. 

In  1823,  the  Court  of  Appeals  decided  that  the  retro-active 
bearing  of  the  Relief-laws  conflicted  with  that  clause  of  the 
Federal  Constitution  which  forbids  a  State  to  do  anything 
"  impairing  the  obligation  of  contracts."  This  decision  natural- 
ly excited  a  great  ferment.  The  Stump  resounded  with  de- 
nunciations of  tyranny  and  appeals  to  popular  prejudices.  At 
the  next  meeting  of  the  Legislature,  in  the  same  year,  the 
course  of  the  judges  was  condemned  by  the  majority,  (but  not 
by  two-thirds,)  in  strong  terms,  and  the  Governor  was  called 
on  to  remove  them  from  office.  The  next  year,  1824,  an  act 
was  passed  abolishing  the  Old  Court,  and  establishing  a  new  one. 
The  new  judges  opened  their  court,  and  attempted  to  transact 
business.  But  the  old  judges  refused  to  submit  to  this  summary 
displacement,  on  the  ground  that  it  was  a  violent  infringement 
of  the  Constitution  of  the  State,  by  which  the  Court  of  Appeals 
was  established,  independent  of  legislative  statutes.  The  final 
appeal  was  made  to  the  ballot-box,  in  1825  ;  and  one  of  the 
sharpest  struggles  ensued  which  Kentucky  had  ever  known. 
The  question  was  of  the  last  importance.  It  involved  the  obli- 
gation of  contracts,  the  integrity  of  fundamental  law,  and  the 
stability  of  the  judiciary. 

After  a  hard-fought  contest,  the  Old  Court  party  achieved  a 
signal  triumph.  The  re-organizing  act  was  repealed.  The 
New  Court  vanished,  and  the  old  judges,  with  Chief  Justice 
Boyle  at  their  head,  whose  unyielding  firmness  cannot  be  too 
much  admired,  resumed  their  functions  without  farther  impedi- 
ment.* It  redounds  to  the  credit  of  Kentucky,  that  not  only  at  that 
tremendous  crisis,  but  ever  since,  she  has  maintained  the  most 
honorable  position  in  the  eyes  of  the  world  ;  and  no  dark  stigma 
of  Repudiation  blots  her  escutcheon. 

During  a  period  of  such  fierce  political  animosity,  when  the 
polls  were  often  converted  into  scenes  of  sanguinary  strife,  it 
could  hardly  be  expected  that  Religion,  whose  dove-like  spirit  is 
averse  to  contention,  should  thrive  and  prosper.  Accordingly, 
none  will  feel  surprised  to  find  days  of  fasting,  humiliation  and 
prayer  repeatedly  appointed,  in  view  of  the  low  state  of  religion, 

*  Chief  Justice  Robertson's  Biogr.  Sketch  of  Hon.  John  Boyle,  pp.  14, 15. 


326  OLD    AND    NEW    COURT. 

paucity  of  conversions,  backwardness  in  supporting  the  ministry, 
small  congregations,  and  tlie  distracted  state  of  the  public  mind.* 
In  1825,  a  more  pleasing  prospect  opened  before  the  Church. 
After  so  long  a  season  of  dearth  and  deadness,  revivals  began  to 
increase,  beyond  what  had  been  known  for  years,  and  several 
churches  were  graciously  visited  with  the  Divine  blessing  in 
Kentucky,  Indiana  and  Illinois. f 

The  groundswell  of  the  political  sea  was  now  subsiding,  and 
the  excited  mind  of  the  public  was  happily  diverted  to  the  more 
important  obligations  of  religion.  A  sensible  improvement  began 
to  take  place.  The  standard  of  public  morals  was  raised.  Pres- 
byterianism  was  more  favorably  received  ;  a  greater  interest  was 
felt  in  religion  generally ;  and  the  baleful  influences  of  New 
Lightism  and  Infidelity  were  regarded  as  somewhat  declining.J 

The  years  1826,  1827,  1828  and  1829  were  marked  with  re- 
vivals, very  extensively,  both  in  the  East  and  West.  The 
churches  in  Connecticut,  Massachusetts,  and  the  Middle  States, 
were  blessed  with  powerful  revivals.  Twenty  Presbyteries  in 
connection  with  the  General  Assembly  reported  seasons  of  re- 
freshing, among  which  the  Presbytery  of  Transylvania  was  sig- 
nally favored.  The  Spirit  was  copiously  poured  out  on  Centre 
College;  as  well  as  on  Athens,  in  Georgia,  and  Dickinson  in 
Pennsylvania.  The  teacher  and  several  of  the  pupils  of  the 
Deaf  and  Dumb  Asylum,  in  Danville,  were  hopefully  converted.§ 

Among  those  congregations  in  Kentucky  in  which  the  Divine 
power  was  most  conspicuous  in  melting  and  renewing  the  hearts 
of  sinners  were,  Lexington  1st  Church,  Nicholas  ville.  Bethel,  (W. 
L,  Pby.)  Versailles,  Winchester,  Hopewell,  Paris,  Flemingsburgh, 
New  Concord,  Springfield,  Millersburg,  Stoner  Mouth,  Mount 
Pleasant,  Maysville,  Shiloh,  Ebenezer,  Columbia,  Bethel,  (Trans. 
Pby.)  Harrodsburgh,  Lebanon,  New  Providence,  Danville,  Lan- 
caster, Paint  Lick,  Harmony,  (Trans.  Pby.)  Buffalo  Spring,  Rich- 
mond, Silver  Creek,  Hanging  Fork,  and  Greensburg.  As  the  re- 
sult of  these  revivals,  upwards  of  four  thousand  additions  to  the 


*  Min.  W.  Lex.  Pby.,  vol.  iv.  pp.  47,  86. 

t  West.  Lum.  vol.  ii.  pp.  57,  204,  258. 

t  See  Narr.  of  W.  Lex.  Pby.,  April,  1826.  Min.  vol.  iv.  p.  86.  It  is  observ- 
able tliat,  in  the  narratives  about  this  time,  repeated  allusions  are  made  to  the 
distraction  of  politics. 

i  Evang.  Mag.  vol.  x.  pp.  386,  387. 


REVIVALS— SLAVERY.  327 

churches  were  reported  to  the  General  Assembly  for  the  two 
years,  1828  and  1829.* 

But  the  most  powerful  revival  which  occurred  about  this 
period  was  at  Lexington.  Religion  had  long  been  languid  ; 
Unitarianism  and  Infidelity  had  been  on  the  increase  ;  and  the 
virulence  of  party  strife  had  been  excessive.  The  necessity  of 
some  strong  measures  to  arrest  these  evils  was  felt  to  be  urgent, 
and  engaged  the  attention  of  the  clergy  whenever  they  met. 
The  Rev.  Nathan  H.  Hall,  pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church,  with  the  approbation  of  his  brethren,  held  a  protracted 
meeting  for  four  days,  the  first  of  the  kind  observed  in  that  re- 
gion. Great  pains  were  taken  to  spread  the  intelligence,  and 
considerable  interest  was  felt  in  regard  to  it.  Several  clergy- 
men and  a  large  number  of  people  attended  the  services.  The 
order  of  exercises  was,  a  Prayer-Meeting  at  sunrise  ;  an  Inquiry 
Meeting,  for  the  serious  and  anxious,  at  nine  o'clock  ;  and  preach- 
ing at  the  usual  hours,  morning,  afternoon  and  evening.  The 
interest  and  solemnity  perceptibly  increased  to  the  close.  Great 
tenderness  of  heart  prevailed,  and  many  hardened  sinners  were 
brought  under  deep  convictions. 

The  meeting  of  the  Synod  occurred  the  same  week,  and  the 
brethren  who  had  been  engaged  in  these  interesting  scenes  re- 
paired thither  with  hearts  full  of  their  recent  impressions.  The 
earnestness  they  felt  was  communicated  to  others,  and  before 
they  parted,  the  ministers  had  experienced  something  of  a  re- 
vival in  their  own  breasts,  and  had  entered  into  an  agreement  to 
pray  at  a  concerted  time  for  an  outpouring  of  the  Spirit  on  their 
respective  churches.  Their  prayers  were  not  offered  in  vain, 
and  many  of  the  churches  were  greatly  refreshed. 

The  tone  of  anxious  feeling  having  become  deeper  at  Lexing- 
ton, another  protracted  meeting  was  held  within  three  weeks  of 
the  first,  conducted  in  the  same  manner,  and  by  the  same  minis- 
ters. The  result  was  that  five  hundred  persons  were  there 
gathered  into  the  fold  of  Christ.  The  general  effect  was  happy 
in  the  extreme.  From  that  time  Infidelity  and  Unitarianism  lost 
their  ascendency ;  and,  notwithstanding  some  subsequent  lapses, 
great  good  was  accomplished,  the  kingdom  of  Satan  shaken,  and 
the  cause  of  evangelical  piety  strengthened.! 

*  See  Min.  G.  A.  for  1828.     Narr.  of  Relig.  p.  259  ;  and  for  1829,  Narr.  of 
Relig.  p.  414. 
f  Reed  and  Matheson's  visit  to  the  Am.  Churches,  Lett.  xii. 


328  OL,D    AND    NEW    COURT. 

The  Rev.  Nathan  H.  Hall  was  the  son  of  a  popular  Baptist 
preacher,  in  Garrard  county,  but  having  been  converted  during 
the  great  revival,  chose  to  connect  himself  with  the  Presbyte- 
rians. He  was  baptized,  by  Mr.  Lyle,  at  a  sacramental  occasion 
at  Danville,  in  August,  1802.  Mr.  Lyle  felt  some  reluctance  to 
do  this,  through  an  apprehension,  which  proved  well  founded, 
that  some  of  the  Baptists  might  be  soured,  and  stand  aloof*  Mr. 
Hall  was  received  as  a  candidate  by  the  Presbytery  of  Transyl- 
vania, in  April,  1806  ;  and  the  Presbytery  assumed  the  obligation 
of  his  support  during  his  studies,  each  member  agreeing  to  bear 
an  equal  proportion  of  the  expense.f  It  would  appear  from  the 
Minutes  that  they  had  grown  more  strict  in  their  examination  of 
candidates  about  this  time,  as  they  rejected  one,  hesitated  about 
two  others,  and  required  an  additional  trial-piece  from  a  fourth. 
Mr.  Hall  was  placed  under  the  superintendence  of  the  Rev. 
Joshua  L.  Wilson.  A  few  months  after  he  had  leave  to  exhort 
publicly.  He  was  licensed  to  preach  in  1808  ;  and  in  1811  was 
ordained  pastor  of  Springfield  and  Hardin's  Creek  Churches. 
While  in  this  charge  he  held  an  oral  debate,  on  the  Veneration 
of  Images,  with  the  Roman  Catholic  Bishop  David,  in  the  court- 
house at  Bardstown,  in  which,  as  is  not  unusual  in  such  cases, 
both  sides  claimed  the  advantage.  Bishop  David  afterwards 
published  the  substance  of  his  remarks  in  a  pamphlet,  which  drew 
forth  a  "  Reply"  from  Mr.  Hall.  The  bishop  rejoined  with  a 
"  Defence  of  the  Vindication;"  and  as  his  antagonist  published 
nothing  further,  the  bishop's  party  claimed  for  him  the  doubtful 
triumph  of  remaining  master  of  the  field.  J 


*  Lyle's  Diary,  p.  76. 

f  Min.  Trans.  Pby.,  vol.  iii.  p.  125.  This  occurrence  of  a  promising  young 
man  providentially  cast  upon  them,  seems  to  have  stimulated  the  Presbytery  to  sys- 
tematic measures  for  the  education  of  pious  young  men,  as  we  find  them,  in  the  fol- 
lowing year,  recommending  the  members  to  raise  contributions  for  the  purpose. 
Nearly  $70  were  collected,  pp.  183,  194.  Messrs.  Howe,  Cleland,  Robertson 
and  Vance  were  appointed  a  committee  to  find  out  and  aid  pious  young  men ; 
and  we  find  afterwards  the  names  of  several  occurring  that  were  thus  aided. 
With  scarcely  an  exception  they  repaired  to  Princeton  Seminary  ;  and  some 
have  acted  a  distinguished  part  in  the  Church  since,  pp.  233,  254,  vol.  iv.  pp.  2, 
108,  115.  In  addition  to  the  education  of  young  men,  attention  was  paid  to  do- 
mestic missions.  The  Presbytery  of  West  Lexington  supported  a  missionary  at 
$30  and  $35  per  month.  Min.  W.  Lex.  Pby.,  vol.  iv.  pp.  9,  23,  64.  In  1824, 
we  find  the  same  Presbytery  giving  a  candidate  for  the  ministry  $135,  contri- 
buted by  the  members  for  his  support.     Min.  vol.  iv.  p.  41. 

I  Spalding's  Sketches,  pp.  253-255. 


REVIVALS— SLAVERY.  329 

In  1823,  Mr.  Hall  was  invited  to  Lexington,  as  the  successor 
of  the  Rev.  Robert  M.  Cunningham,  in  the  pastoral  care  of  the 
First  Presbyterian  Church,  where  he  still  remains.*  With  a 
portly  person,  stentorian  lungs,  an  ardent  temperament,  all  the 
enthusiasm  and  impulse  of  the  Kentucky  character,  and  an  un- 
bounded hospitality,  he  has  long  been  the  most  extensively  popu- 
lar preacher  of  the  denomination  in  the  West ;  and  more  con- 
versant with  revivals  than  any  of  his  contemporaries.  He  excels 
in  exhortation,  and  his  appeals,  standing  beneath  the  pulpit,  or  in 
the  aisle  after  sermon,  urging  the  congregation  to  come  up  to  the 
anxious  seat,  have  sometimes  been  marked  with  a  startling  and 
terrific  power.  Constantly  solicited  in  the  most  urgent  manner 
to  give  his  aid  in  all  parts  of  the  country,  he  has  been  instrumental 
in  gathering  great  multitudes  into  the  churches ;  although  it  is 
not  to  be  denied  that  the  more  cool  and  cautious  look  with  dis- 
trust on  his  system  of  hasty  admissions.  His  early  education 
has  given  him  great  advantages  in  managing  the  Baptist  contro- 
versy, in  which  he  is  acknowledged  to  be  very  expert.  Mr.  Hall, 
in  the  midst  of  more  success  than  falls  to  the  lot  of  most  ministers, 
has  also  had  a  proportionate  share  of  evil  said  against  him  ;  and 
nothing  but  the  most  extraordinary  buoyancy  of  temper  could 
have  sustained  him  under  trials,  of  a  public  and  private  nature, 
severe  enough  to  prostrate  almost  any  other  man. 

In  1828,  died  the  Rev.  John  McFarlaxd,  pastor  of  the  Church 
in  Paris.  He  came  over  to  the  Presbyterian  communion  from 
that  of  the  Associate  Reformed,  at  the  same  time  with  Dr.  Mason 
and  others.  His  talents  and  learning  were  of  a  high  order.  A 
little  before  his  decease  he  published  a  small  treatise  on  the  Re- 
lation, Rights,  Privileges  and  Duties  of  baptized  children.  It 
was  his  favorite  theory  that  they  were  suitable  subjects  of  church 
discipline,  and  had  a  right  to  the  Lord's  Supper.  This  he  incul- 
cated from  the  pulpit,  and  in  the  Church  Courts.  He  bequeathed 
$400,  in  books,  to  Centre  College. 

It  was  about  this  period  (1828)  that  the  Rev.  Frederick  A. 
Ross  and  James  Gallaher  acted  a  conspicuous  part  as  itinerant 
Evangelists,  or  Revival  Preachers.  This  title  was  now  coming 
greatly  into  vogue,  both  in  the  East  and  West,  and  was  for  some 
time  very  popular,  until  its  manifest  abuse  caused  it  to  be  dis- 

*  Min.  W.  L.  Pby.,  vol.  iv.  p.  26. 


330  OLD    AND    NEW    COURT. 

continued.  The  above-named  ministers  travelled  extensively  in 
Kentucky  and  Ohio,  and  they  w^ere  very  successful  in  producing 
great  religious  excitement  wherever  they  labored.  They  made 
great  use  of  the  Anxious  Seat,  and  similar  devices,  familiarly 
known  as  "New  Measures."* 

Camp-meetings  were  also  revived,  and  as  long  as  they  were 
held  in  neighborhoods  which  were  truly  missionary  ground, 
where  there  were  no  houses  large  enough  to  accommodate  a 
multitude  of  persons,  they  appeared  to  be  useful.  A  number  of 
converts  were  made  in  a  few  months.  It  was  not  long,  however, 
before  camp-meetings  were  unnecessarily  multiplied,  and  brought 
within  two  or  three  miles  of  populous  towns.  This  gave  occa- 
sion to  great  disorder,  Sabbath-breaking,  drinking  and  levity. 
The  judicious  withdrew  their  countenance,  and  they  gradually 
fell  into  disuse  as  nuisances.f 

The  name  of  the  late  Rev.  David  Nelson,  M.D.,  ought  not  to 
be  omitted  in  this  place.  He  had  studied  medicine  in  Danville, 
where  he  also  imbibed  Infidel  notions,  and  afterwards  became  an 
army  surgeon  in  the  war  of  1812.  Being  converted  from  In- 
fidelity, he  was  admirably  fitted  to  grapple  with  deistical  ob- 
jections, and  scatter  their  sophistry  to  the  winds.  Of  this  his  last 
production,  "The  Cause  and  Cure  of  Infidelity,"  is  a  standing 
proof.  Many  and  continually  recurring  instances  might  be  fur- 
nished of  its  usefulness.  The  very  oddity  of  his  manners,  the 
slovenliness  of  his  appearance,  and  his  aversion  to  ascend  a  pul- 
pit, preferring  to  stand  underneath,  or  on  a  bench,  served  to  at- 
tract the  popular  curiosity.  His  style  was  didactic  and  argu- 
mentative, rather  than  hortatory ;  but  when  his  appeals  to  the 
judgment  were  followed  by  a  speaker  capable  of  moving  the 
passions,  the  eflfect  produced  was  happy  in  the  extreme.  Dr. 
Nelson  removed  to  the  neighborhood  of  Quincy,  Illinois,  where 
he  attempted  to  found  a  Mission  Institute  on  a  large  scale,  com- 
mensurate with  the  wants  of  the  world.  The  plan  was  truly 
magnificent,  contemplating  the  collection  of  at  least  five  hundred 

*  The  introduction  of  the  Anxious  Seat  is  ascribed  to  Dr.  Anderson,  of  Ten- 
nessee. Though  fallen  into  discredit,  it  is  still  practised  by  some  orthodox  minis- 
ters. It  was  a  favorite  measure  of  Mr.  Finney,  and  as  decidedly  disapproved  by 
Mr.  Nettleton. 

f  A  camp-meeting  has  been  held  occasionally  of  late  years  by  the  Presbyte- 
rians of  Kentucky,  but  under  such  efficient  and  prudent  regulations  tliat  no  dis- 
orders have  arisen. 


REVIVALS-SLAVERY,  33J 

Students.  Economy  was  to  be  consulted  by  each  student,  like 
the  sons  of  the  prophets  in  the  days  of  EUsha,  takinfr  an  axe 
and  hewing  from  the  adjoining  forest  the  materials  for  his  humble 
cabin  ;  while  his  repast  was  to  consist  of  rice,  corn-meal,  or  like 
simple  fare,  prepared  by  his  own  hands.  This  great  and  good 
man,  after  being  reduced  by  repeated  epileptic  attacks  to  the 
wreck  of  his  former  self,  was  removed  to  a  better  world  in  the 
year  1844. 

The  loud  calls  for  an  increase  of  ministers,  and  the  inconveni- 
ence and  expense  of  sending  candidates  to  so  distant  a  school  as 
Princeton,  induced  the  General  Assembly,  in  1826,  to  take  mea- 
sures for  establishing  a  Theological  Seminary  in  the  West. 
The  location  concluded  upon  was  Alleghany  Town,  opposite 
Pittsburg.  The  subject  of  a  Western  Theological  Seminary 
had  long  occupied  the  attention  of  the  churches  in  Kentucky 
and  the  adjoining  States  ;  but  the  Synod  of  Kentucky  was  dis- 
posed to  discourage  an  independent  Seminary,  being  warmly 
attached  to  Princeton,  to  which  their  candidates  had  been  sent 
with  great  uniformity  ;  some  being  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery 
of  New  Brunswick  for  the  purpose. 

The  Synod,  in  1824,  corresponded  with  the  Synods  of  Ohio 
and  Tennessee,  with  a  view  to  dissuade  them  from  attempting 
to  set  up  an  independent  institution,  urging  that  Princeton  should 
be  patronized  ;  for  since  its  erection  a  new  era  had  dawned,  and 
large  and  respectable  accessions  had  been  received  from  its 
halls  ;  and  that  when  a  Western  Seminary  should  be  called  for, 
there  should  be  but  one  great  school  under  the  direct  supervision 
of  the  General  Assembly  itself.*  It  was  maintained  that  the  site 
of  the  contemplated  seminary  should  be  as  nearly  as  possible  in 
the  centre  of  the  Mississippi  Valley,  and  neither  east  nor  north 
of  Cincinnati,  t  In  consequence,  great  dissatisfaction  was  felt  at 
the  Assembly's  making  choice  of  Alleghany  Town,  as  not  an- 
swering the  wants  and  wishes  of  the  West.  J      In  1828,  the 


*  Min.  Syn.  Ky.,  vol.  iii.  p.  IIL  f  ^I'"-  W.  L.  Pby.,  vol.  iv.  p.  82. 

1  As  a  curious  illustration  of  this  and  of  the  expan.sion  of  the  great  West,  it 
may  be  stated  that  when  the  General  Assembly  met  in  Pittsburor  in  1835,  the 
Eastern  members  took  their  wives  with  them  to  see  the  West,  while  the  Western 
members  took  theirs  to  see  the  East !  In  1825,  the  Assembly  appointed  General 
Jackson  of  Tennessee,  Judge  Benjamin  Mills  of  Kentucky,  Hon.  John  Thomp- 
son of  Ohio,  and  Drs.  Obadiah  Jennings  and  Andrew  Wylie  of  Pennsylvania, 
Commissioners  to  report  to  the  Board  of  Directors  upon  a  location.     They,  it  is 


332  OLD    AND    ISEW    COURT. 

Synod  of  Kentucky  added  a  Theological  Department  to  Centre 
College,*  but  the  scheme  proved  abortive. 

About  the  same  time  Lane  Seminary  was  founded  at  Cincin- 
nati ;f  and  some  few  years  afterwards,  in  consequence  of  distrust 
of  the  soundness  of  the  instruction  there  given,  another  was 
started  at  South  Hanover  in  Indiana,  by  the  united  Synods  of 
Cincinnati  and  Indiana ;  but  in  the  foundation  of  neither  had  the 
Synod  of  Kentucky  any  direct  agency. 

In  the  year  1838,  on  an  overture  from  the  West  Lexington  Pres- 
bytery, the  Synod  passed  several  important  resolutions,  pronounc- 
ing it  of  great  importance  to  the  interests  of  the  Presbyterian 


understood,  pitched  upon  Walnut  Hills  in  the  vicinity  of  Cincinnati,  the  Kem- 
per family  offering  the  ground.  But  by  manoeuvring  and  superior  promises. 
Walnut  Hills  was  rejected  in  1828,  and  Alleghany  Town  chosen,  by  a  close  vote 
of  two  majority  ;  that  majority  being  furnished  by  the  votes  of  Pittsburg  mem- 
bers. The  funds  were  wasted  in  cutting  a  high  hill  to  form  a  spacious  espla- 
nade; the  magnificent  subscriptions  of  $36,000  in  the  Synod  of  Pittsburg  in 
addition  to  $15,000  in  the  city  were  never  realized  ;  the  title  proved  wretchedly 
invalid ;  the  Western  Synods  declined  to  co-operate ;  and  for  these  and  other 
reasons,  Dr.  Jane  way  resigned  his  professorship  in  1829.  See  Minutes  G.  A. 
1825-1828,  and  Dr.  Janeway's  MS.  Statement  G.  A.,  1829.  The  decision  of 
1823,  led  to  consequences  that  cannot  be  sufficiently  deplored.  Had  the  Semi- 
nary been  then  located  at  Walnut  Hills,  Mr.  Arthur  Tappan  would  probably 
never  have  offered  to  found  a  professorship  for  Dr.  Beecher  ;  Dr.  Beecher  would 
not  have  crossed  the  mountains  ;  Cincinnati  would  not  have  become  a  focus  of 
New  School  influence  ;  and  the  Western  Churches  would  possess  at  this  day  a 
School  in  a  central  and  popular  position. 

*  Min.  Syn.  Ky.,  vol.  iii.  p.  153,  vol.  iv.  pp.  6,  99. 

t  Some  time  after  the  religious  excitement  of  1828,  the  two  Messrs.  Lane,  of 
Boston,  having  been  convinced  from  personal  observation,  on  their  way  to  New 
Orleans,  of  the  necessity  of  the  case,  resolved  to  found  a  Literary  and  Theolo- 
gical institution  at  Walnut  Hills,  four  miles  from  Cincinnati.  They  were  Bap- 
tists, but  men  of  liberal  and  comprehensive  views.  They  presented  the  proposi- 
tion first  to  their  own  denomination,  but  not  finding  them  inclined  to  co-operate, 
they  resolved  to  make  their  munificent  offer  to  the  Presbyterians,  in  connection 
with  the  General  Assembly.  Lane  Seminary  was  accordingly  founded,  after 
conference  with  the  Professors  at  Princeton,  and  with  Drs.  VVilson  and  Nelson. 
The  Rev.  Mr.  Beckwith,  of  Lowell,  was  first  president  of  the  literary  department, 
but  soon  retired.  When  the  Theological  department  was  established,  Arthur 
Tappan,  a  merchant  of  New  York,  offered  to  found  a  professorship,  on  condition 
that  Dr.  Lyman  Beecher  be  the  incumbent.  Dr.  Beecher  was  then  believed  to 
be  orthodox  and  sound  in  his  views.  The  Literary  department  was  soon  after 
transferred  to  the  Miami  University  under  the  care  of  Dr.  Bishop.  Although 
Dr.  Wilson  publicly  demanded  in  a  pamphlet  an  explanation  of  this  transfer, 
none  was  ever  given.  In  the  schism  of  1838,  Lane  Seminary  went  with  its 
professors  over  to  the  New  School  body ;  nor  did  the  Old  School  Assembly  take 
any  measures  for  its  recovery,  adhering  to  the  spirit  of  the  compromise  proposed 
before,  that  each  party  should  retain  possession  of  the  institutions  which  they 
controlled.  The  Kemper  family,  however,  who  are  warmly  Old  School,  and 
who  had  made  a  donation  of  the  land,  felt  very  much  aggrieved,  and  have  seve- 
ral times  threatened  to  institute  a  suit  in  their  own  name. 


REVIVALS-SLAVERY.  333 

Church  in  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi,  that  a  well-endowed 
Theological  Seminary  should  without  delay  be  established  in 
the  West  or  South-west,  They  determined  to  unite  with  the  ad- 
joining Synods  in  supporting  such  an  institution,  and  sending 
delegates  to  a  Convention  invited  to  meet  at  Louisville  for  the 
purpose.  The  Rev.  Messrs.  Price,  Rice,  and  Bullock,  with 
elders  McCalla,  Wood,  and  Thornton,  were  chosen  their  dele- 
gates. The  Rev.  Lewis  W.  Green,  then  one  of  the  faculty  of 
Centre  College,  a  ripe  and  finished  scholar,  was  elected  the  Sy- 
nod's Professor  of  Biblical  Criticism  and  Oriental  Literature. 
The  Synod  expressly  reserved  the  right  at  any  time  to  with- 
draw its  professor  and  any  funds  it  might  furnish.  The  Conven- 
tion met  at  Louisville,  on  the  22d  of  November,  and  among  other 
arrangements,  decided  on  New  Albany  on  the  Indiana  shore,  a 
little  below  Louisville,  as  the  site  of  the  Seminary  ;  the  late 
Elias  Ayres,  Esq.,  a  pious  merchant  of  that  place,  generously 
offering  810,000  on  condition  of  the  united  Synods  raising  as 
much  more  to  complete  the  endowment.  The  Seminary  at 
South  Hanover  was  merged  in  the  new  institution,  and  its  pro- 
fessors and  funds  transferred  with  it.  The  venerable  Dr.  Mat- 
thews was  placed  at  the  head  of  the  New  Albany  school,  which 
he  still  continues  to  adorn.  Professor  Green  withdrew  in  the 
course  of  a  year,  and  with  his  withdrawal  the  connection  of  the 
Synod  of  Kentucky  ceased.  In  the  year  1840,  that  connection 
was  resumed,  and  there  are  now  seven  Synods  united  in  the 
control  of  the  Seminary,  viz  :  the  Synods  of  Indiana,  Northern 
Indiana,  Illinois,  Missouri,  Cincinnati,  West  Tennessee,  and  Ken- 
tucky. 

The  year  1833  was  memorable  on  account  of  the  awful 
ravages  of  that  formidable  epidemic,  capricious  in  its  march,  in- 
scrutable in  its  features,  and  balHing  the  resources  of  the  medical 
art,  the  Asiatic  Cholera.  Generated  in  the  rank  jungles  of  the 
Sunderbunds  in  1817,  it  had  made  the  tour  of  the  world,  and 
crossing  the  Atlantic  on  the  wings  of  the  wind,  came  to  spread 
its  devastations  over  the  United  States.  Cincinnati,  Maysville, 
Flemingsburg,  Springfield,  Millersbu^g,  Georgetown,  Paris,  Har- 
rodsburg,  Frankfort,  Shelbyville,  Louisville,  Simpsonville,  Nash- 
ville, all  suffered  more  or  less  severely.  But  in  no  place,  per- 
haps, was  the  mortality  greater  than  in  the  city  of  Lexington. 
It  was  fondly  believed  that  this  beautiful  city  would  escape  en- 
22 


334  OLD    AND    NEW    COURT. 

tirely,  on  account  of  its  elevated  situation,  freedom  from  large 
collections  of  water,  and  general  salubrity.  But  these  expecta- 
tions, encouraged  as  they  were  by  the  public  assertions  of  the 
medical  faculty,  and  backed  by  the  positive  authority  of  the 
professor's  chair,  were  doomed  to  a  bitter  disappointment.  Early 
in  June,  1833,  the  epidemic  made  its  appearance,  and  filled  every% 
house  with  mourning. 

In  the  short  space  of  nine  days,  fifteen  hundred  persons  were 
prostrated,  and  dying  at  the  rate  of  fifty  a  day.  The  horrors  of 
that  period  no  one  can  adequately  conceive.  The  rain  fell  in 
unprecedented  torrents,  while  the  incessant  glare  of  lightning 
and  the  roll  of  thunder  made  the  night  terrific.  Amid  the  up- 
roar of  the  elements  the  watchers  sat  mournfully  in  the  chamber 
of  death ;  and  all  night,  during  the  lull  of  the  storm,  might  be 
heard  the  feet  of  the  anxious  messengers  hurrying  along  the 
streets,  and  besieging  the  doors  of  the  apothecaries  and  physi- 
cians. 

Within  a  fortnight  it  was  computed  that  about  five  hundred 
persons  fell  victims,  nothwithstanding  half  the  population  had 
fled  at  an  early  period.*  The  panic  was  terrible.  While  many 
left  the  city,  others  kept  aloof  from  rendering  assistance  through 
fear  of  infection  ;  and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  numbers  died 
in  solitude  for  want  of  friendly  succor.  The  streets  were 
deserted.  The  market-place  was  desolate.  Had  it  not  been 
for  the  activity  of  the  city  authorities  and  the  humanity  of  the 
charitable,  the  horrors  of  famine  must  have  been  added  to  those  of 
pestilence.  To  complete  the  desperate  condition  of  things,  three 
physicians  died,  three  more  were  absent,  and  of  the  rest,  scarcely 
one  escaped  an  attack  of  disease  himself.  The  clergy,  active  as 
they  were  in  attendance  at  the  bedside  of  the  sick  and  dying, 
were  insufficient  to  meet  the  demand  for  their  services.  Some 
of  the  most  respectable  citizens  were  hurried  off  to  the  place  of 
interment  in  a  rough  deal  coffin  placed  in  a  cart,  without  funeral 
procession  or  religious  ceremonies.  The  grave-yards  were 
choked.  Coffins  were  laid  down  at  the  gates  by  the  score,  in 
confused  heaps ;  and  among  them,  horrible  to  relate  !  corpses 
wrapped  up  only  in  the  bed-clothes  in  which  they  had  but  an 
hour  or  two  before  expired.     There  they  lay,  each  waiting  their 

*  Dr.  Yandell  estimates  the  deaths  at  450.     AcccuBt  of  Spasmodic  Cholera 
iu  Lexington,  p.  23. 


REVIVALS— SLAVERY.  ggg 

turn  to  be  deposited  in  the  long  trenches  which  were  hastily  dug 
for  the  necessities  of  the  occasion. 

The  epidemic  shortly  disappeared,  in  some  places  less  rapidly 
than  others  ;  but  no  remarkable  religious  concern  seemed  to  be 
the  immediate  result  of  this  awful  visitation.  On  the  contrary 
the  minds  of  the  people  appeared  rather  stunned  and  stupefied. 
But  the  following  year,  1834,  was  signalized  as  a  year  of  revi- 
vals, and  nowhere  more  conspicuously  than  in  the  very  city 
where  the  desolations  had  been  greatest.  There  was  a  con- 
tinued series  of  meetings  held  in  Lexington  for  three  or  four 
weeks,  night  and  day,  in  which  nearly  all  the  denominations 
participated  ;  the  result  of  which  was,  that  about  four  hundred 
additions  were  made  to  the  various  churches  as  the  trophies  of 
divine  grace. 

The  subject  of  Slavery  began  about  this  time  to  be  vehemently 
agitated  by  the  advocates  of  immediate  abolition  in  the  United 
States.  It  is  proper,  therefore,  to  recite  in  this  place  the  course 
of  ecclesiastical  action,  taken  from  the  beginning  in  Kentucky, 
and  to  show  that  the  uniform  testimony  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  has  been  in  favor  of  no  other  plan  than  Gradual  Eman- 
cipation. 

The  subject  early  engaged  the  attention  of  the  reflecting  and 
the  conscientious.  On  the  eve  of  the  Convention,  held  in  1792, 
to  draw  up  a  State  Constitution,  that  venerable  patriarch,  David 
Rice,  published  a  pamphlet,  under  the  signature  of  Philanthro- 
pos,  entitled,  "  Slavery  inconsistent  with  Justice  and  Good 
Policy."  He  spoke  freely  of  the  infringement  of  personal  rights ; 
the  want  of  protection  for  female  chastity  ;  the  violent  separa- 
tion of  families ;  the  deprivation  by  law  of  religious  and  moral 
instruction ;  the  growing  danger  of  servile  insurrection  ;  the 
tendency  to  sap  the  foundations  of  moral  and  political  virtue ; 
the  inducing  habits  of  idleness  and  vice,  especially  among  the 
young  men  ;  the  comparative  unproductiveness  of  slave  proper- 
ty ;  the  discouraging  of  valuable  emigration  from  the  eastward ; 
and  the  probable  deterioration  of  the  country.  He  undertook 
to  answer  objections,  especially  those  drawn  from  the  supposed 
sanction  of  the  Scriptures,  and  the  silence  of  the  apostles. 
He  proposed  that  the  Convention  should  "  resolve  uncondition- 
ally to  put  an  end  to  slavery  in  Kentucky."  The  details  of  the 
plan  might  be  left  to  a  subsequent  legislature.     But  in  view  of 


336  OLD    AND    NEW    COURT, 

the  difficulties  that  surrounded  the  subject,  he  avowed  his  beUef 
that  "  a  gradual  emancipation  only  can  be  advisable."  His 
views  may  be  gathered  from  the  following  paragraph :  "  The 
legislature,"  said  he,  "  if  they  judged  it  expedient,  would  prevent 
the  importation  of  any  more  slaves :  they  would  enact  that  all 
born  after  such  a  date  should  be  born  free  ;  be  qualified  by  pro- 
per education  to  make  useful  citizens  ;  and  be  actually  freed  at 
a  proper  age.  It  is  no  small  recommendation  of  this  plan,  that 
it  so  nearly  coincides  with  the  Mosaic  law,  in  this  case  provid- 
ed ;  to  which,  even  suppose  it  a  human  institution,  great  respect 
is  due  for  its  antiquity,  its  justice,  and  humanity."*  These  views 
were  zealously  supported  by  Mr.  Rice  in  the  convention,  but 
throuo-h  the  influence  of  those  distinguished  statesmen,  John 
Breckenridge  and  Col.  Nicholas,  he  was  defeated. 

In  1794,  the  Presbytery  of  Transylvania,  then  covering  the 
entire  State,  passed  a  resolution  to  the  effect  that  slaves  should 
be  instructed  to  read  the  Scriptures,  and  be  prepared  for  free- 
dom.f 

The  subject  was  several  times  brought  before  them,  and  on 
one  occasion,  1796,  they  expressed  their  opinion  as  follows : 
"The  remonstrance  against  slavery  was  taken  up,  when  Pres- 
bytery, after  mature  deliberation,  came  to  the  following  resolu- 
tion, viz :  That  although  Presbytery  are  fully  convinced  of  the 
great  evil  of  slavery,  yet  they  view  the  final  remedy  as  alone 
belonging  to  the  civil  powers ;  and  also  do  not  think  that  they 
have  sufficient  authority  from  the  word  of  God  to  make  it  a 
term  of  Church  communion.  They,  therefore,  leave  it  to  the 
consciences  of  the  brethren  to  act  as  they  may  think  proper  ; 
earnestly  recommending  to  the  people  under  their  care  to 
emancipate  such  of  their  slaves  as  they  may  think  fit  subjects  of 
liberty  ;  and  that  they  also  take  every  possible  measure,  by 
teaching  their  young  slaves  to  read  and  giving  them  such  other 
instruction  as  may  be  in  their  power,  to  prepare  them  for  the 
enjoyment  of  liberty,  an  event  which  they  contemplate  with  the 
greatest  pleasure,  and  which,  they  hope,  will  be  accomplished 
as  soon  as  the  nature  of  things  will  admit."  J 


*  Bishop's  Rice,  (where  see  the  whole  essay  in  the  appendix,)  p.  415. 

t  Mins.  Trans.  Pby.  vol.  i.  p.  147. 

I  Min.  Trans.  Pby.  vol.  ii.  pp.  102,  103. 


REVIVALS— SLAVERY. 

Repeated  petitions,  &;c.,  on  the  subject  of  slavery  are 
found  among  tlie  filed  papers  of  the  Presbytery  ;*  together 
with  a  letter  sent  from  the  General  Assembly,  signed  by  Dr. 
John  McKnight,  Moderator,  1795,  stating  what  the  Assembly, 
had  done  to  favor  emancipation,  and  exhorting  to  mutual  for- 
bearance and  peace. 

In  1797,  the  question,  "Is  slavery  a  moral  evil?"  was  taken 
up,  and  determined  in  the  affirmative.  The  question,  "  Are  all 
persons  who  hold  slaves  guilty  of  a  moral  evil?"  was  answered 
in  the  negative.  A  third  question,  "  Who  are  not  guilty  of 
moral  evil  in  holding  slaves  V  was  considered  of  so  much  im- 
portance, that  its  consideration  was  postponed  until  a  future 
day.  The  following  year  it  was  debated,  and  again  post- 
pone d.f 

In  1800,  a  memorial  from  Cane  Ridge  and  Concord  was  re- 
ferred by  the  West  Lexington  Presbytery  to  the  Synod  of 
Virginia  and  the  General  Assembly.  In  their  letter  to  the 
Synod  of  Virginia,  they  call  slavery  "  a  subject  likely  to  occa- 
sion much  trouble  and  division  in  the  churches  in  this  country." 
They  also  express  it  as  the  opinion  of  a  large  majority  of  this 
Presbytery,  and  of  the  sister  Presbyteries,  that  slaveholding 
should  exclude  from  church  privileges,  but  hesitate  to  decide 
till  directed  by  higher  judicatories.^ 

In  1802,  we  find  the  same  body  not  allowing  church  sessions 
to  prohibit  slaveholders  from  communion,  and  thus  to  make 
terms  of  communion  unsanctioned  by  the  higher  judicatories.^ 

In  1823,  the  Synod  of  Kentucky  appointed  committees  to  fur- 
ther the  American  Colonization  Society,  and  to  promote  the 
object  by  correspondence  with  influential  men  in  different  parts 
of  the  State.y  Indeed,  recommendations  of  this  Society  are 
found  so  frequently  on  the  minutes  as  to  be  almost  annual.  In 
1830,  the  churches  were  enjoined^  to  raise  collections  to  aid  in 


*  The  name  of  Malcolm  Worley  appears  more  than  once  appended  to  these 
petitions.  The  attentive  reader  of  the  chapter  on  the  cxtravaginces  of  the 
Great  Revival  must  have  become  familiar  with  liis  name  as  ready  to  espouse 
any  fanatical  ultraism. 

f  Min.  Trans.  Pbv.  vol.  ii.  pp.  163,  224.      t  Min.  W.  Lex.  Pby.  vol.  i.  p.  38. 

J  Min.  W.  Lex.  Pby.  vol.  i.  p.  81. 

II  Min.  Syn.  Ken.  vol.  iii.  pp.  G5,  108,  122. 

11  It  is  ijpt  unworthy  of  note  that  the  assumption  oi  the  polestas  ordinansha,? 
been  much  more  cautiously  indulged  in  of  late  years  than  formerly,  and  the 


338  OLD    AND    NEW    COURT. 

building  a  church  in  Liberia.  Unhappily,  the  injunction  proved 
not  to  be  generally  complied  with,  and  the  next  year  was  re- 
newed.* 

In  1825,  the  Synod  directed  ministers  to  pay  more  attention 
to  the  religious  instruction  of  the  slaves.  In  1826,  fifteen 
schools  for  people  of  color  were  reported,  f 

In  1833,  the  following  overture  was  discussed  in  the  Synod, 
for  two  days,  with  considerable  spirit,  viz :  "  Resolved,  that  in 
the  view  of  this  Synod,  slaveiy,  as  it  exists  within  our  bounds,  is 
a  great  moral  evil,  and  inconsistent  with  the  word  of  God. 
And  we  do,  therefore,  recommend  to  all  our  ministers  and  mem- 
bers, who  hold  slaves,  to  endeavor  to  have  them  instructed  in 
the  knowledge  of  the  Gospel  ;  and  to  promote,  in  every  peace- 
able way,  the  interests  of  the  Colonization  Society  ;  and  to  favor 
all  proper  measures  for  gradual  voluntary  emancipation."  An 
amendment  was  offered,  striking  out  the  words,  "  and  inconsist- 
ent with  the  word  of  God,"  which  was  rejected.  The  debate 
waxed  warmer  and  warmer,  when  it  was  abruptly  brought  to  a 
close  by  the  adoption  of  the  following  resolution,  moved  by  the 
Rev.  Samuel  V.  Marshall :  "  Inasmuch  as,  in  the  judgment  of 
the  Synod,  it  is  inexpedient  to  come  to  any  decision  on  the  very 
difficult  and  delicate  question  of  slavery,  as  it  is  v/ithin  our 
bounds ;  therefore  resolved,  that  the  whole  subject  be  indefinitely 
postponed."     It  was  carried — ayes  41,  nays  36,  non  liquet  l.J 

But  the  subject  was  not  to  remain  so  quietly  disposed  of  The 
next  year,  at  Danville,  the  whole  matter  was  again  brought  up, 
and  a  series  of  resolutions  were  adopted,  no  less  decided  in  their 
tone  than  that  which  had  lately  been  postponed.     By  an  over- 


form  of  injunction  has  pelcled  to  that  of  recommendation.  Yet  we  find  the  old 
Presbytery  of  Transylvania  at  various  times  granting  permissiim.  to  congrega- 
tions to  build  churches,  and  in  one  instance  refusing  permission,  though  granting 
supplies.     The  case  was  tliat  of  Fleming  church,  Mason  county,  in  1795. 

*  Min.  Syn.  Ky.  vol.  iv.  pp.  199,  220. 

f  Min.  Syn.  Ky.  vol.  iii.  pp.  133,  156.  In  1830,  appeared  a  variety  of  essays, 
which  attracted  no  little  attention.  One  series  (of  seven  numbers)  was  written 
by  Robert  J.  Breckenridge,  (signed  B. ;)  anothw'  by  that  venerable  and  erudite 
scholar,  George  Clarke,  (signed  C.;)  and  a  third  by  the  late  Judge  Green, 
(signed  Philo  C.)  These  gentlemen  were  all  attached  to  the  Presbyterian 
Church.  Their  publications  were  elicited  by  an  attempt  (which  proved  abor- 
tive,) to  repeal  the  law  forbidding  the  importation  of  slaves  into  the  State. 
and  displayed  great  ability  as  well  as  moral  courage ;  for  they  cost  the  lirst- 
namod  gentleman  his  seat  in  the  Legislature.     Bait.  ReL  Mag.  vol.^vU.  p.  9. 

|;  Min.  Syn.  Ky.  vol.  v.  pp.  28,  31. 


REVIVALS— SLAVERY. 


330 


whelming  majority*  a  committee  of  ten  were  appointed  to  pre- 
pare a  plan  for  the  instruction  and  future  emancipation  of  the 
slaves.  The  committee  were,  the  Hon.  John  Brown,  Chairman  ; 
Judge  Green,  President  Young,  Thomas  Porter  Smith,  Esq., 
Charles  N.  Cunningham,  Esq.,  J.  R.  Alexander,  Esq.,  Rev. 
Robert  Stuart,  Rev.  James  K.  Burch,  Rev.  Nathan  H.  Hall, 
and  Rev.  W.  L.  Breckenridge  ;t  men  of  great  weight  of  charac- 
ter and  commanding  influence.  The  following  year,  183.5,  they 
published  to  the  world  their  proposed  plan,  in  a  pamphlet  of  G4 
pages,  from  the  pen  of  President  Young.  J  It  was  regarded  as 
an  able  document,  taking  strong  and  decided  ground  in  favor  of 
gradual  emancipation.  It  fearlessly  recounted  the  evils  of 
slavery ;  its  degrading  influence ;  its  dooming  thousands  to 
hopeless  ignorance ;  its  depriving  them,  in  a  great  measure,  of 
the  privileges  of  the  Gospel ;  its  licensing  cruelty  ;  its  producing 
licentiousness  among  the  slaves ;  its  demoralizing  eflfect  on  the 
whites  as  well  as  the  blacks ;  and  its  drawing  down  the  ven- 
geance of  Heaven.  After  answering  objections,  the  committee 
proceed  to  unfold  their  plan. 

"  The  plan,  then,  which  we  propose,"  say  they,  "  is,  for  the 
master  to  retain,  during  a  limited  period,  and  with  regard  to  the 
real  welfare  of  the  slave,  that  authority  which  he  before  held, 
in  perpetuity,  and  solely  for  his  own  interest.  Let  the  full 
liberty  of  the  slave  be  secured  against  all  contingencies,  by  a 
recorded  deed  of  emancipation,  to  take  effect  at  a  specified  time. 
In  the  mean  while,  let  the  servant  be  treated  with  kindness — let 
all  those  things  which  degrade  him  be  removed — let  him  enjoy 
means  of  instruction — let  his  moral  and  religious  improvement 
be  sought — let  his  prospects  be  presented  before  him,  to  stimu- 
late him  to  acquire  those  habits  of  foresight,  economy,  industry, 
activity,  skill,  and  integrity,  which  will  fit  him  for  using  well  the 
liberty  he  is  soon  to  enjoy." 

"  1.  We  would  recommend  that  all  slaves  now  under  20  years 
of  age,  and  all  those  yet  to  be  born  in  our  possession,  be  eman- 
cipated as  they  severally  reach  their  25th  year. 


*  The  vote  stood — yeas  56,  nays  8,  non  liquet  7. 

f  Mill.  Syn.  Ky.  vol.  v.  p.  50-52. 

I  Half  of  it  was  an  appendix,  consisting  of  a  reply  of  Pros.  Young  to  Messrs. 
Steele  and  Crothers,  designed  to  prove  "  the  doctrine  of  immediate  emancipation 
unsound" 


340  OLD    AND    NEW    COURT. 

"  2.  We  recommend  that  deeds  of  emancipation  be  now  drawn 
up,  and  recorded  in  our  respective  county  courts,  specifying  the 
slaves  whom  we  are  about  to  emancipate,  and  the  age  at  which 
each  is  to  become  free. 

"  3.  We  recommend  that  our  slaves  be  instructed  in  the 
common  elementary  branches  of  education. 

"  4.  We  recommend  that  strenuous  and  persevering  efforts  be 
made  to  induce  them  to  attend  regularly  upon  the  ordinary  ser- 
vices of  religion,  both  domestic  and  public. 

"  5.  We  recommend  that  great  pains  be  taken  to  teach  them 
the  Holy  Scriptures  ;  and  that,  to  effect  this,  the  instrumentality 
of  Sabbath-schools,  wherever  they  can  be  enjoyed,  be  united 
with  that  of  domestic  instruction. 

"  These  are  measures  which  all  ought  to  adopt ;  and  we  know 
of  no  peculiarity  of  circumstances  in  the  case  of  any  individual, 
which  can  free  him  from  culpability  if  he  neglects  them."* 

These  propositions  were  far  in  advance  of  public  sentiment, 
as  prevailing  at  that  time.  No  formal  action  was  ever  taken  by 
the  Synod  in  regard  to  them.  In  the  morbid  and  feverish  state 
of  the  public  mind,  it  is  not  to  be  concealed,  that  by  some  they 
were  considered  as  going  to  an  unwarrantable  and  imprudent 
length.  One  of  its  suggestions  was  the  payment  of  an  amount 
of  wages  to  the  slave  equal  to  the  hire  paid  his  owner.  The 
northern  Abolitionists  were  w^aging  a  hot  crusade  against  slave- 
ry, sending  out  itinerant  lecturers,  and  loading  the  mails  with 
inflammatory  publications.  Their  measures  were  marked  with 
a  fanatical  virulence  rarely  exhibited,  and  the  South  and  South- 
west were  exasperated  beyond  forbearance.  Even  in  the  free 
States  mobs  and  riots  ensued.  In  the  slave  States  the  effects 
were  truly  disastrous.  The  prospect  of  emancipation  was  re- 
tarded for  years.  The  laws  bearing  on  the  slave  population 
were,  in  some  States,  made  more  stringent  than  ever,  and  their 
privileges  were  curtailed.  In  Kentucky,  the  religious  meetings 
of  the  blacks  were  broken  up  or  interrupted,  and  their  Sabbath- 
schools  dispersed. f     Such  was  the  embittered  state  of  public 


*  Plan,  pp.  26,  28,  29. 

J  Mr.  Jame-s  Weir  a  wealthy  manufacturer  of  Lexington,  and  a  subject  of  the 
recent  revival  in  that  city,  employed  the  Rev.  W.  W.  Hall  as  a  missionary  to 
instruct  his  numerous  slaves  and  other  persons  of  color.  But  the  missionary 
one  day  received  a  threatening  note,  warning  him  to  close  his  Sunday  School , 


REVIVALS-SLAVERY.  341 

feeling,  that  when  the  question  of  altering  the  State  Constitution 
was  submitted  to  the  people,  the  friends  of  the  slave  preferred 
letting  it  quietly  be  lost,  rather  than  run  the  risk  of  changes 
which  might  rivet  more  closely  the  yoke  of  bondage.  The  inno- 
cent cause  of  Colonization,  before  so  much  a  favorite,  suffered 
greatly  for  a  time,  many  perversely  confounding  it  with  Aboli- 
tionism. The  effervescence,  however,  has  long  since  subsided, 
and  a  favorable  re-action  has  taken  place.  During  the  year 
1845,  the  Agent  of  the  American  Colonization  Society  collected 
from  the  voluntary  generosity  of  its  friends  in  the  State,  the  sum 
of  five  thousand  dollars,  for  the  purpose  of  purchasing  a  district 
of  country  in  Africa,  to  be  called  "  Kentucky  in  Liberia,"  and  to 
be  appropriated  to  the  residence  of  emigrants  from  Kentucky, 
each  of  whom,  on  arriving,  is  to  receive  a  grant  of  land.  A  ter- 
ritory was  secured,  described  by  the  Governor  of  Liberia  as  a 
beautiful,  healthy,  and  favorable  location  ;  and  the  foundation  of 
a  settlement  was  laid  there  early  in  the  following  year,  increased 
by  the  addition  of  a  second  company,  after  the  lapse  of  another 
twelvemonth.  It  is  now  in  contemplation  to  induce  the  Legis- 
lature of  the  State  to  follow  the  noble  example  of  that  of  Mary- 
land, in  contributing  an  annual  sum  to  aid  in  removing  emigrants, 
and  thus  raise  up  on  the  shores  of  Africa,  an  enlightened,  free, 
and  happy  commonwealth,  the  germ  of  a  future  empire,  grate- 
fully perpetuating  the  recollection  of  its  origin  in  the  use  of  its 
adopted  name.* 

The  resolutions  of  the  General  Assembly  of  1845,  at  Cincin- 
nati, (which  were  drafted  by  the  Rev.  Nathan  L.  Rice,  D.D.,  a 
native  of  Kentucky,)  taking  the  ground  that  it  is  not  competent 
to  the  Church  to  legislate  where  Christ  and  his  apostles  have  not 
legislated,  proved  highly  acceptable  to  the  churches  south  of 
the  Ohio,  as  well  as  generally.  On  this  rock  the  Baptist  and 
Methodist  denominations  had  just  before  split ;  and  it  is  matter 
of  devout  thankfulness  that  the  Presbyterian  Church  has  been 
saved  from  following  their  example,  and  is  now  so  harmonious 
upon  this  subject  as  to  be  relieved  from  the  slightest  apprehen- 
sion of  a  schism. 

or  it  would  be  done  by  force.     The  school  was  in  consequence  closed,  (contra- 
ry to  the  decided  advice  of  the  author,  who  looked  on  the  anonymous  note  as 
nothing  more  than  an  idle  threat,)  and  the  labors  of  the  missionary  were  sus- 
pended. 
*  Presb.  Her.  June  19,  1845.     Liberia  Adv.  May  22,  1846. 


CHAPTER    XIV. 


THE  NEW  SCHOOL  SCHISM— CONCLUSION. 

After  thirty  years  of  freedom  from  intestine  strife,  during 
which  time  she  had  acquired  a  commanding  position  and  influ- 
ence, the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Kentucky  was  torn  for  the 
fourth  time,  most  needlessly,  by  the  ploughshare  of  division. 
Happily  her  dear-bought  experience  enabled  her  to  weather  the 
storm  in  safety,  and  the  injury  she  sustained  was  comparatively 
trifling. 

Two  parties  had  of  late  years  been  arrayed  against  each  other, 
known  by  the  distinctive  names  of  Old  and  New  School ;  the 
first  being  conservative  in  their  views,  the  latter  latitudinarian. 
They  differed  in  regard  to  doctrines,  in  regard  to  measures,  in 
regard  to  ecclesiastical  polity,  and  in  regard  to  the  Plan  of  Union 
of  1801. 

Although  the  New  School  party  embraced  many  who  were 
sound  in  Doctrine,  it  is  certain  that  Semi-Pelagianism  was  exten- 
sively fostered  and  shielded  from  discipline  within  its  ranks ; 
while  a  portion  ran  into  wilder  errors  than  the  rankest  Pelagian 
ever  dreamed  of.  The  following  tenets  were  held,  jointly  or 
severally,  by  a  large  number  of  the  party :  That  we  have  no 
more  to  do  with  the  sin  of  Adam  than  of  any  other  parent. 
That  he  was  in  no  sense  our  Covenant  Head  or  Federal  Repre- 
sentative. That  to  say  we  sinned  in  him  conveys  no  intelligible 
idea  to  any  man  of  common  sense.  That  the  sufferings  and 
death  of  infants  are  no  wise  penal,  but  to  be  accounted  for  on 
the  same  principle  as  those  of  the  brute  creation.  That  there  is 
no  such  thing  as  Original  Sin,  or  a  sinful  nature.  That  sin  is 
only  an  abuse  of  the  principle  of  self-love,  which  is  in  itself 
neither  sinful  nor  holy.     That  there  can  be  no  sin  except  in  acts. 


THE    NEW    SCHOOL    SCHISM— CONCLUSION.  343 

That  God  could  not  have  prevented  the  existence  of  sin  "witiiout 
interfering  with  free  agency.  That  Election  is  founded  on 
foreknowledge  of  character,  and  that  there  is  no  such  thing 
as  Special  Grace.  That  Imputed  Righteousness  is  imputed 
nonsense.  That  the  Atonement  of  itself,  secured  the  salva- 
tion of  no  man,  being  merely  symbolical  or  governmental,  a 
satisfaction  to  public  or  general  justice,  and  only  opening  a 
door  of  h6pe.  That  Christ  did  not  endure  the  penalty  of  the 
law,  and  was  not  our  legal  substitute.  That  to  say  our  guilt  was 
imputed  to  him  implies  a  transfer  of  moral  character.  That 
Regeneration  is  a  man's  own  act,  and  consists  in  changing  his 
governing  purpose,  which  he  is  competent  to  perform  without 
the  aid  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  That  ability  is  the  measure  of  obli- 
gation. That  man's  only  inability  is  inability  of  will.  That  the 
Holy  Spirit  does  not  operate  directly  upon  the  heart,  but  only 
through  or  upon  the  truth  presented,  otherwise  free  moral  agency 
would  be  destroyed.  And  lastly,  that  having  all  requisite  ability 
to  obey  God's  law,  it  is  possible  to  attain  perfection  in  this  life,  if 
we  will  to  do  so,  and  it  is  our  duty  thus  to  will.* 

Besides  the  New  Divinity,  sometimes  called  New  England 
Theology,  (but  improperly,  for  there  was  a  strong  Old  School 
party  among  the  Congregationalists  of  New  England,)  and  some- 
times Taylorism,  from  Dr.  Taylor  of  New  Haven,  its  prominent 
advocate,  there  was  a  set  of  New  Measures  that  came  very  ex- 
tensively into  vogue.  These  comprehended  some  things  that 
were  good,  and  others  that  were  exceptionable ;  periodical  and 
spasmodic  excitements  ;  artificial  revivals  ;  an  order  of  so-called 
revival  preachers  ;  praying  publicly  for  ministers  as  if  they  were 
unconverted,  (after  the  manner  of  Davenport ;)  protracted  meet- 

*  Sec  Fitch's  Discourses ;  Taylor's  Discourses ;  Harvey's  Letters  on  Theol. 
Specul.  in  Conn. ;  Spring  on  Means  of  Regeneration,  and  on  Native  Depravity ; 
Griffin  on  Divine  Efficiency,  and  on  Regeneration ;  Wood's  Letters  to  Taylor ; 
Tyler's  Letters  on  New  Haven  Theology  ;  Tyler's  Memoir  of  Ncttloton,  p.  290  ; 
Rand's  Strictures  on  Finney  ;  Lord's  Views  in  Tlieology ;  Christian  Spectator, 
passim ;  Biblical  Repertory,  passim ;  Wood's  Old  and  New  Theology ;  Rice's 
Old  and  New  Schools  ;  Crockers  Catastrophe  of  the  Presb.  Ch.  chaps.  .\ii.  x.\ii. ; 
Reid  and  Matheson's  Visit  to  the  American  Churches,  Lett,  xxxii.  Beman's 
Four  Letters  on  the  Atonement ;  Duffield  on  Regeneration ;  Barnes'  Sermon  on 
the  Way  of  Salvation,  and  Comm.  on  Romans  :  Stuart's  Comm.  on  Romans ; 
Beccher's  Views  in  Theology ;  Cox  on  Regeneration,  and  art.  in  Bibl.  Report. 
vol.  iii.  p.  48-2;  Finney's  Lectures;  Mahan  on  Cliristian  Perfection;  The  Per- 
fectionist ;  New  York  Evangelist,  passim  ;  Testimony  of  the  Gen.  Assembly  of 
1837  against  Sixteen  Errors,  Min.  p.  468 ;  Protest  of  Duffield  and  others  on  the 
Sixteen  Errors,  Min.  p.  481,  «Sic. 


344  THE    NEW    SCHOOL    SCHISM. 

ings  from  four  to  forty  days  in  length,  not  after  the  pattern  of 
the  Scotch  sacramental  meetings,  nor  demanded  by  urgent 
necessity,  but  got  up  as  part  of  the  machinery  for  producing  a 
revival ;  the  anxious  seat,  or  the  clearing  of  several  pews  in 
front  of  the  pulpit  after  a  stimulating  exhortation,  and  urging 
those  that  were  anxious  for  their  salvation  to  occupy  them  as  a 
decisive  step  towards  conversion  ;  rising  to  be  prayed  for  in  the 
congregation  ;  sun-rise  prayer-meetings  ;  conference  or  inquiry 
meetings ;  domiciliary  visits  by  church  members  or  young  con- 
verts, two  and  two,  for  prayer  and  exhortation ;  pointed  addresses 
to  the  impenitent,  with  a  view  to  immediate  conversion ;  hasty 
admissions  to  church  membership  ;  insisting  on  submitting  to  God 
as  the  test  of  conversion,  and  discouraging  all  preliminary  prayer, 
reading  the  Scriptures,  or  resort  to  the  outward  means  of  grace  ; 
with  various  other  contrivances  to  bring  a  rush  of  proselytes  into 
the  Church,  many  of  whom,  upon  cooling  down,  discovered  that 
they  had  acted  under  the  pressure  of  animal  excitement,  and 
renounced  their  Christian  profession.*  Where  these  New  Mea- 
sures prevailed  to  any  extent,  as  in  Western  New  York,  the 
ground  was  completely  burnt  over,  all  healthy  religious  action 
was  interrupted,  and  a  permanent  moral  desolation  was  the  con- 
sequence. Prejudices  were  created  against  even  genuine  revi- 
vals ;  and  scoffers,  infidels,  Unitarians,  Universalists,  and  every 
form  of  error  took  advantage  of  the  check  given  to  evangelical 
doctrine,  and  throve  exceedingly. 

The  modes  of  conducting  Education  and  Missions  formed  an- 
other fruitful  source  of  controversy.  The  Old  School  considered 
them  safest  under  ecclesiastical  control ;  the  New  preferred  to 
leave  them  under  the  direction  of  irresponsible  Voluntary  So- 
cieties, the  American  Education  Society,  the  American  Home 
Missionary  Society,  and  the  American  Board  of  Commissioners 
for  Foreign  Missions. f 


*  See  Sprajrue  on  Revivals,  app.  ;  Annan  on  the  Anxious  Bench ;  Finney's 
Lectures  on  Revivals  ;  Tyler's  Memoir  of  Nettleton,  p.  245  ;  Baird's  Relig.  in 
America,  p.  214;  Beecher's  Letter;  Reid  and  Matlieson,  Lett.  xxxi. 

t  See  Dr.  Carnahan's  able  article  on  the  Am.  Education  Soc.  Prof.  Stuart's 
Examination  ;  and  the  Reply  to  the  Examination,  in  the  Bibl.  Repert.  for  1829, 
vol.  i.  pp.  344,  560,  602.  Dr.  Wilson's  Four  Propositions  sustained  against  the 
A.  H.  M.  S. ;  Cushraan's  Appeal ;  Peters'  Six  Letters  ;  Official  Reply  of  Board 
of  Dom.  Miss. ;  Protest  of  Peters  and  others  against  the  Assembly's  censure  of 
the  A.  H.  M.  S.  and  the  A.  E.  S.     Min.  1837,  pp.  442,  488. 


CONCLUSION.  345 

The  plan  of  Union,  contrary  to  its  original  intention,  became 
another  apple  of  discord.     In  consequence  of  the  increasing 
emigration  of  New  England  people  to  the  West,  the  General 
Assembly  had  consented,  in  1801,  at  the  suggestion  of  the  General 
Association  of  Connecticut,  that  for  convenience  sake,  Presby- 
terians and  Congregationalists   in  the  new  settlements  might 
unite  in  constituting  churches,  choosing  a  minister  of  either  per- 
suasion, dispensing  with  ruling  elders,  settling  all  difliculties 
that  might  arise  by  Councils  instead  of  Presbyteries,  and  ap- 
pointing  committeemen  to   sit  in   Presbytery  as  ruling  elders. 
The  effect  of  this  plan,  by  means  of  the  multiplied  Presbyteries 
and  Synods  that  were  fostered  under  its  operation,  as  well  as 
by  means  of  its  gross  abuse,  was  to  give  the  Congregational 
elements  an  undue  preponderance  in  the  Church  courts ;  and 
laymen  who  had  never  adopted,  or  perhaps  even  read,  the  Confes- 
sion of  Faith,  and  who  felt  a  natural  predilection  for  the  peculi- 
arities of  New  England,  decided  on  a  creed,  discipline,  and 
polity  purely  Presbyterian.*     So  great  were  the  abuses  of  this 
plan  of  Union,  (never  designed  to  be  other  than  a  temporary  ar- 
rangement,) that  in  the  Western  Reserve  Synod,  (Ohio,)  out  of 
one  hundred  and  thirty-nine  churches,  but  nine  were  organized 
on  the  Presbyterian  model.     The  remaining  hundred  and  thirty 
were  Congregational  or  mixed.     In  the  Synods  of  Utica,  Ge- 
neva, and    Genesee,  (Western  New  York,)  two-fifths  of  the 
churches  were  of  the  same  description. f     Yet  all  these  churches 
claimed  a  representation  not  only  in  the  Presbyteries  and  the 
Synods,  but  also  in  the  General  Assembly.     This  gross  enormity 
was  long  concealed  from  the  unconscious  Presbyterians,  by  these 
churches  being  reported  as  Presbyterian  Churches,  and  it  was 
only  by  degrees  that  the  truth  was  dragged  to  light. 

What  first  excited  suspicion  was  the  evident  coalition  between 
the  Voluntary  Societies  and  the  New  School  party,  (especially 
that  portion  of  them  brought  in  through  the  plan  of  Union,)  to 
spread  the  new  divinity,  and  to  put  down  the  Boards  of  the 
Church.J     Under  the  affectation  of  superior  zeal,  they  labored 


*  Assembly's  Digest,  p.  297 ;  Crocker's  Catastrophe,  pp.  6-46.  Past,  and 
Circ.  Letters  of  Gen.  Assembly,  1837.  Min.  pp.  499,502;  Miller's  Church 
Case,  passim. 

f  Miller's  Presb.  Church  Case,  pp.  136,  662. 

\  Crocker's  Catastrophe,  p.  114. 


346 


THE    NEW    SCHOOL    SCHISM. 


to  ingratiate  themselves  with  the  people,  and  sneered  at  the  Old 
Scliool  as  enemies  to  revivals,  behind  the  spirit  of  the  age,  unil- 
luminated  by  the  glorious  light  of  the  nineteenth  centmy,  grop- 
ing in  the  gloom  of  the  dark  ages,  and  unable  to  keep  up  with 
the  modern  march  of  mind.  They  had  no  commendations  ex- 
cept for  men  of  the  right  stamp,  by  v^^hich  cant  phrase  they 
meant  such  only  as  coincided  in  all  respects  with  themselves. 
Anniversary  meetings,  resembling  the  Great  Week  at  New 
York,  were  got  up  with  incredible  pains,  at  various  prominent 
points,  such  as  Cincinnati,  Lexington,  Alton,  St.  Louis  and  Jack- 
sonville. Those  who  looked  farther  than  the  surface  of  things, 
fancied  they  could  detect  a  secret  plot  to  undermine  the  whole 
fabric  of  Presbyterianism  ;  to  alter  the  Confession  of  Faith,  or 
retain  it  only  "  for  substance  of  doctrine  ;"  to  introduce  teachers 
of  the  New  Divinity  into  Princeton  Seminary  ;  and  to  make  the 
whole  Church  essentially  Congregational  under  a  Presbyterian 
name.* 

In  Kentucky  the  controversy  never  had  so  much  reference  to 
doctrinal  differences  as  to  the  mode  of  conducting  education  and 
home  missions,  in  which  subject  the  West  naturally  felt  a  deep 
interest.  There,  as  elsewhere,  the  consequences  of  the  collision 
between  the  rival  institutions  were  heartburnings,  suspicions, 
alienations  of  feeling,  disaffection  among  ministers  and  churches, 
and  all  the  concomitant  evils  of  separate  action.f  At  first,  in- 
deed, Kentucky  had  hailed  the  organization  of  the  American 
Home  Missionary  Society  ;  Dr.  Blythe  had  seconded  the  motion 
for  the  adoption  of  its  constitution ;  and  the  Synod  had  repeat- 
edly given  it  their  annual  collections-^  But  when  they  found 
it  systematically  sending  New  School  missionaries,  unasked,  to 
supply  their  vacancies,  and  observed  its  immense  and  growing 
patronage,§  they  feared  a  deep-laid  plot  to  secure  a  balance  of 


*  Dr.  Wilson's  Four  Propositions,  Cincinnati,  1831.  Dr.  Peters'  Plea  for 
Union  in  the  West.  Official  Reply  of  the  Board  of  Missions.  Cushman's  Ap- 
peal to  tlic  public,  against  the  Four  Propositions.  Dr.  Carnahan's  article  in  the 
Bibl.  Repertory,  1829,  exposing  the  enormous  patronage  of  the  Am.  Education 
Soc.     Prof.  Stuart's  Examination  ;  both  republished  in  pamphlet  form. 

t  Letter  of  Messrs.  Hall,  Young,  and  Hinckley,  (editor  of  the  West.  Lumi- 
nary.) dated  Lexington,  Aug.  22,  1830,  and  addressed  to  the  Committee  of  the 
Cine.  Pby.     Four  Prop.  p.  10. 

I  Four  Prop.  p.  18.     Min.  Syn.  Ky.  vol.  iii.  p.  157  ;  vol.  iv.  pp.  21,  31. 

^  "  Power  over  a  man's  support  has  always  been  held  and  admitted  to  be 
power  over  his  will."     Senator  Benton's  speech  on  the  N.  Y.  Custom  House. 


CONCLUSION.  347 

power  by  an  artful  distribution  of  their  adherents  among  the 
jiresbyteries.  Dr.  Blythe  and  Dr.  Wilson  were  among  the  nkst 
to  take  the  alarm. 

So  high  did  the  feud  rise,  and  so  flagrant  were  its  evils,  that 
the  General  Assembly,  in  May,  1831,*  on  the  instigation  of  the 
New  School  party,  directed  the  Western  Presbyteries  to  confer 
together  on  the  best  method  of  conducting  missions,  and  report 
the  next  year.  In  consequence  of  this  recommendation,  opposed 
by  Dr.  Wilson,  but  seconded  by  a  circular  from  the  West  Lex- 
ington Presbytery,  a  convention  of  forty-three  delegates  from 
twenty  presbyteries  in  the  Valley  of  the  Mississippi  met  at  Cin- 
cinnati, November  23d,  1831.  The  delegates  from  Kentucky 
were  Messrs.  Cameron,  Blythe,  Steel,  Paxton,  Whitney,  W.  L. 
Breckenridge,  ministers  ;  and  Messrs.  Harbison,  Robt.  J.  Breck- 
enridge,  T.  P.  Smith,  and  Hodge,  ruling  elders ;  all  except 
Messrs.  Whitney  and  Smith,  Old  School  men,  and  in  favor  of 
the  Assembly's  Board.  Dr.  Blythe  was  chosen  Moderator,  and 
the  Rev.  Samuel  Steele,  of  Kentucky,  and  the  Rev.  A.  O.  Patter- 
son, of  Ohio,  Secretaries. 

From  an  analysis  of  the  votes,  and  reports  of  Presbyteries 
not  represented,  it  may  be  gathered  that  of  forty-seven  Presby- 
teries in  the  Valley,  twenty-one  were  in  favor  of  the  Assembly's 
Board  ;  seven  in  favor  of  the  Home  Missionary  Society,  or  in- 
dependent action  ;  four  were  divided  ;  and  from  fifteen  there 
was  no  report.  Six  Synods  expressed  their  opinions,  and  five 
were  not  heard  from.  The  Synod  of  Kentucky,  at  its  meeting 
a  month  previous,  had  decidedly  advocated  the  General  Assem- 
bly as  the  safest  depository  of  power.f  The  Convention  sat  for 
seven  days,  and  the  discussions  were  spirited.  By  an  over- 
whelming vote,  they  decided  in  favor  of  the  General  Assembly's 
mode  of  conducting  missions,  and  deprecated  any  union  of  the 
conflicting   institutions   as   fraught  with  mischief.J     They   also 


*  This  was  the  Assembly  which  acquitted  Mr.  Barnes  for  his  sermon  on  the 
Way  of  Salvation  ;  and  to  which  was  submitted  Dr.  John  II.  Rice's  Overture 
on  the  distinctive  duty  of  the  Ciiurch  to  conduct  missions.  This  year  (1831) 
Tabor  Presbytery  was  erected  by  the  Synod  of  Kentucky,  in  the  northern  part 
of  the  State,  and  dissolved  the  year  following.  Min.  Syn.  vol.  iv.  p.  261  ; 
V.  p.  10. 

f  Min.  of  Convention,  pp.  10,  20. 

t  Min.  of  (x)nv.  p.  8.  The  vote  was  54  to  15  ;  the  votes  having  been  pro- 
portioned according  to  the  ratio  of  Prosbytcrial  representation. 


348  THE    NEW    SCHOOL    SCHISM. 

addressed  a  circular  to  the  Churches.*  The  elders  drew  up  a 
separate  memorial  to  the  next  Assembly,  on  the  subject  of  un- 
equal representation.f 

The  Minority  published  a  counter-report,  in  which  they  com- 
plained bitterly  of  the  heavy  vote  of  the  Synod  of  Pittsburg, 
and  endeavored  to  weaken  the  force  of  the  decision.  The 
result  of  the  whole  was,  that  all  went  on  as  before,  save  that  the 
war  was  no  longer  a  covert  one.  As  for  the  final  vote,  the 
New  School  treated  it  with  not  the  smallest  respect ;  though  the 
proposition  had  emanated  from  them,  with  the  tacit  understand- 
ing that  the  decision  was  to  be  binding  on  all  parties.^ 

For  four  years  the  New  School  had  a  controlling  influence  in 
the  Assembly,  and  paralyzed  every  effort  of  the  Church  to  move 
in  her  distinctive  character.  Then  came,  in  1834,  the  Act  and 
Testimony  (of  which  Robert  J.  Breckenridge,  by  this  time  or- 
dained a  clergyman,  and  become  the  master  spirit  of  the  Reform 
movement,  was  the  drafter,)  complaining  of  doctrinal  errors,  the 
relaxation  of  discipline,  and  the  alarming  violation  of  Church 
order.  The  signatures  swelled  to  two  thousand  and  seventy- 
five  ;  ninety-seven  of  which  came  from  Kentucky,  viz  :  seventeen 
ministers  and  eighty  elders. §  In  the  fall  succeeding,  the  Synod 
adopted  the  entire  paper,  being  the  only  Synod  that  did  so,  be- 
sides that  ofPhiladelphia.il 

The  convention  and  memorial  of  1835,  and  the  measures  of 
the  Old  School  majority  in  the  Assembly,  must  be  left  to  the 
general  historian.TI  In  the  fall,  the  Synod  of  Kentucky  expressed 
their  gratification  with  the  transfer  of  the  Western  Foreign 


*  Min.  of  Conv.  p.  19. 

f  Bait.  Lit.  and  Relig.  Mag.  vol.  iv.  p.  104. 

j  Mem.  of  Monfort  and  others,  praying  a  redress  of  grievances,  p.  9. 

^  Act  and  Testimony,  pamphlet  form,  pp.  28.  Defence  of  the  Act  and  Testi- 
mony, by  the  drafter,  pp.  8. 

II  Min.  Syn.  vol.  v.  pp.  55-57.  Bait.  Lit.  and  Rel.  Mag.  vol.  vi.  p.  98.  This 
was  not  done  without  discussion.  Two  substitutes  for  the  paper  were  offered,  one 
by  President  Young,  the  other  by  Dr.  Cleland,  both  of  which  were  rejected  ;  and 
the  original  paper  was  carried  by  the  overwhelming  vote  of  fifty-seven  ayes  to 
two  noes,  and  five  non  liquets. 

IF  This  year  occurred  the  trials  of  Messrs.  Barnes  and  Beecher.  This  year 
also  appeared  Marshall's  Disc,  before  the  W.  Lex.  Pby.,  on  the  Peace  and 
Union  of  the  Church ;  pp.22.  Dr.  Wilson's  Letter  to  Bishop,  pp.  14;  One 
Proposition  sustained  against  the  New  School,  exposing  their  revolutionizing 
schemes,  pp.  16  ;  and  Plea  in  the  case  of  Beecher,  before  Syn.  of  Cine,  pp.  120  ; 
Review  of  Barnes  on  Rom.  pp.  30 ;  the  Moderates  and  Ultra  Partisans,  pp.  17  ; 
W.  L.  Breckenridge's  Letters  to  Presbyterians,  pp.  39. 


CONCLUSION.  349 

Missionary  Society,  and  also  recommended  the  Kentucky  Edu- 
cation Society,  which  was  designed  to  aid  beneficiaries  in 
Centre  College.*  In  1836,  the  New  School  regained  their  as- 
cendency in  the  Assembly,  and  rescinded  all  that  had  been  done 
the  preceding  year. 

In  the  fall  of  183G,  the  Synod  of  Kentucky  met  at  Bardstown, 
and  took  a  stand  Ion"  to  be  remembered.  A  series  of  strong 
resolutions  was  offered  by  the  Rev.  Samuel  V.  Marshall,  (son  of 
the  late  Robert  Marshall,)  the  substance  of  which  passed  in  the 
form  of  a  substitute  proposed  by  the  Rev,  W.  L.  Breckinridge, 
condemning  Barnes'  Notes  on  Romans  :  (ayes,  34 ;  noes,  9 ; 
non  liquet,  5  ;)  deploring  the  refusal  to  take  distinctive  action  on 
foreign  missions  ;  (ayes,  40  ;  noes,  7  ;)  recommending  the  West- 
ern Foreign  Missionary  Society  ;  solemnly  declaring  the  farther 
operation  of  the  American  Home  Missionary  Society  and  the 
American  Education  Society  within  their  bounds  to  be  against 
their  wishes  and  consent ;  (ayes,  39  ;  noes,  10  ;)  and  requesting 
those  Societies  to  retire  without  delay  from  their  bounds,  and 
make  no  further  collections  in  their  churches,  nor  in  any  way 
continue  to  operate  within  the  Synod's  geographical  limits  ; 
(ayes,  33  ;  noes,  14  ;  n.  1.,  3.)f  Eleven  members,  seven  of 
whom  were  ministers,  entered  their  protest  against  the  above 
resolutions.  The  Synod  passed  a  vote  highly  approbatory  of 
the  Assembly's  Board  of  Domestic  Missions,  whose  plan  was 
presented  by  its  indefatigable  and  successful  agent,  the  Rev. 
Sylvester  Scovel,  now  President  of  South  Hanover  College. 
The  annual  collection  was  given  to  the  Western  Foreign 
Missionary  Society,  under  the  patronage  of  the  Synod  of  Pitts- 
burg.J 

While  the  New  School,  flushed  with  the  insolence  of  recent 
triumph  in  the  Assembly  of  1836,  counted  on  the  tame  submis- 
sion or  sullen  secession  of  their  opponents,  a  simultaneous  burst 
of  indignation  broke  from  the  Old  School  ranks.  The  spirit  of 
the  party  was  thoroughly  aroused.  The  eyes  of  the  most  scep- 
tical were  opened ;  Moderates  and  Middle  men  no  longer  held 
back.     Princeton,  which  had  at  first  reprobated  the  Act  and  Tes- 

*  Min.  Syn.  vol.  v.  pp.  59,  73.     Synod  also  approved  the  course  of  Ebenezer 
Pby.  in  requiring  a  candidate  to  leave  Oborlin  Institute,  p.  70. 
t  Min.  Svn.  vol.  v.  pp.  81-83. 
X  Min.  Syn.  vol.  v.  pp.  79,  80. 
23 


350  THE    NEW    SCHOOL    SCHISM. 

timony,  threw  her  weight  into  the  scale.  The  friends  of  ortho- 
doxy and  sound  Presbyterianism  ralUed  in  an  unbroken  mass, 
and  prepared  for  a  united  and  vigorous  charge  along  the  whole 
line.  In  the  Reform  Measures  of  1837,  the  establishment  of  a 
Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  the  dissolution  of  the  Elective  Affin- 
ity Presbytery,  the  abrogation  of  the  Plan  of  Union,  and  fhe 
disowning  of  the  four  unconstitutional  Synods,  the  Synod  of 
Kentucky  heartily  concurred. 

When  the  Schism  took  place  the  following  year,  1838,  (the 
details  of  which  cannot  be  here  narrated,*)  the  commissioners 
from  Kentucky,  chosen  with  an  eye  to  the  probable  result,  did 
their  duty  to  a  man,  both  in  the  Assembly  and  the  Convention 
which  preceded  it.  In  the  ensuing  fall,  the  Synod  formally  de- 
clared its  adherence  to  the  Old  vSchool  Assembly. 

This  meeting  of  the  Synod  was  at  Paris,  October  12th,  1838, 
and  was  fraught  with  interest.  It  was  known  that  there  was  a 
dissatisfied  minority,  and  it  was  whispered  that  they  had  held  a 
secret  convention  in  the  same  place  a  short  time  previous ;  but 
some  of  the  leading  members  of  both  parties  conferring  together 
in  piivate,  they  came  to  a  mutual  understanding  to  maintain  har- 
mony and  avoid  a  division. 

The  committee  on  the  minutes  of  the  General  Assembly 
submitted  the  following  resolutions,  which  were  adopted  with- 
out debate : — 

"1.  Resolved,  That  this  Synod  recognize  and  acknowledge 
the  General  Assembly  which  organized  and  continued  to  hold 
its  sessions  in  the  Seventh  Presbyterian  Church  in  Philadelphia, 
in  May  last,  of  which  the  Rev.  Wm.  S.  Plumer  was  Mode- 
rator, as  the  only  true  General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  in  the  United  States  of  America. 

"  2.  Resolved,  That  the  decisions  of  civil  courtsf  can  only 
extend  to 'church  property,  and  cannot  in  any  way  affect  the 
ecclesiastical  rights  and  standing  of  churches  and  church  mem- 

*  See,  for  a  minute  account  of  those  transactions,  Breckinridge's  Documen- 
tary Hist,  of  the  Assembly  of  1837,  and  Memoirs,  to  serve  as  a  Hi:-t.  of  the 
Semi-Pelag.  Controv.  in  the  Presb.  Ch.,  Bait.  Lit.  and  Rel.  Mag.  vols.  iii.  iv.  v. 

t  Tlie  Trustees  elected  by  the  New  School  Assembly  sued  those  of  the  Old 
School,  in  the  Court  of  Nisi  Prius,  Pennsylvania,  March  4, 1839,  when  judgment 
was  given  by  Judge  Rodgers  in  their  favor  ;  but  the  decision  was  reversed,  as 
contrary  to  evidence,  by  the  Supreme  Court  of  Pennsylvania,  Chief  Justice  Gib- 
son presiding,  jNIay  8th,  on  a  motion  for  a  new  trial.  See  Miller's  Church  case, 
pp.  461,587. 


CONCLCJSION.  351 

bers,  and  whatever  may  be  their  decisions  in  relation  to  the  funds 
of  the  Church,  we  will  adhere  to  the  said  General  Assembly  ^ 
,    The  yeas  and  nays  were  called  for  on  the  first  of  these  reso- 
lutions, and  the  yeas  amounted  to  77.     There  were  no  nays,  nor 
non  liquets.     The  second  resolution  was  adopted  unanimously.* 

Dr.  Cleland  then  presented  the  following  paper,  with  a  request 
that  it  might  be  recorded  immediately  after  the  preceding 
resolutions  : — 

"  We,  the  undersigned,  anxious  to  preserve  the  harmony  and 
influence  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Kentucky,  do  hereby 
assent  to  the  resolutions  proposed  with  the  following  explana- 
tions: 1.  In  affirming  that  the  Assembly  which  met  in  the  7th 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Philadelphia  in  May  last,  is  the  only 
true  General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  Unit- 
ed States,  we  mean  distinctly  to  say  that  we  do  submit  to  it. 
While,  on  the  one  hand,  we  express  no  opinion  as  to  the  legal 
question  now  pending  between  the  conflicting  Assemblies,  we 
are  free  to  state,  on  the»other,  that  no  decision  of  that  question 
by  the  civil  magistrate  shall  influence  our  future  course.  2.  We 
declare  our  adherence  to  said  Assembly,  but  distinctly  withhold 
our  approbation  of  the  Reform  Measures  of  the  Assemblies  of 
'37  and  '38.  Thomas  Cleland,  Jos.  C.  Stiles,  Jno.  H.  Brown, 
Andw.  A.  Shannon,  G.  W.  Kennedy,  Saml.  Maccoun,  D.  M. 
Winston,  P.  L.  McAboy,  Edw.  P.  Humphrey,  Wm.  Dickey, 
H.  St.  John  Van  Dake,  John  H.  Berryman,  Charles  Philips, 
Jos.  Wilson,  Timothy  Root,  Jno.  Rootes  Thornton,  E.  Herriott, 
David  Castleman,  J.  T.  Hendrick." 

Whereupon,  Synod  oi'dered  the  following  minute  to  be  re- 
corded : — "  Synod  very  cheerfully  permits  this  paper  to  be  put 
upon  the  records  ;  at  the  same  time  reaffirming  our  cordial  ap- 
proval of  the  leading  acts  of  the  General  Assemblies  of  1837 
and  1838."t 

All  hearts  beat  high  with  pleasure  at  this  amicable  termina- 
tion of  affairs,  and  the  fraternal  spirit  which  appeared  to  prevail. ' 
The  ministers  returned  to  their  labors  with  renewed  alacrity, 
and  encouraging  revivals  occurred  in  several  places.     But  the 

*  Min.  SjTi.  vol.  V.  p.  113. 

i"  Min.  Syn.  vol.  v.  pp.  114,  115.  The  names  of  the  ministers  in  the  above 
document  have  been  italicized  for  convenience  sake.  It  was  signed  by  eleven 
ministers,  and  eight  ruling  elders  ;  nineteen  in  all. 


352 


THE    NEW    SCHOOL    SCHISM. 


prospect  was  soon  overcast.  At  the  meeting  of  the  Synod  at 
Hopkinsville,  October  9th,  1839,  it  was  painfully  evident  that 
the  elements  of  discord  had  been  at  work.  The  Bowling-green^ 
Church  had  admitted  a  New  School  minister  to  supply  their 
pulpit,  and  their  conduct  came  up  by  a  reference  from  Muhlen- 
burg  Presbytery.  After  inquiring  into  the  case,  the  Synod 
admonished  the  church  of  the  consequences  of  employing  a 
minister  not  in  connection  with  them  ;  and  declared  the  invita- 
tion disorderly  and  irregular,  and  the  conduct  of  the  individual 
in  question  an  indelicate  and  unchristian  intrusion.* 

While  the  seeds  of  trouble  were  sown  in  the  south-western 
section,  the  northern  region  was  not  exempted  from  the  same 
baleful  influence.  The  minority,  notwithstanding  their  promise 
of  submission  and  adherence  at  Paris,  were  restive  and  uneasy. 
At  the  request  of  Mr.  Stiles,  an  Interlocutory  meeting  was  held 
with  closed  doors.f  Messrs.  Cleland  and  Stiles  then  took  the 
opportunity  of  unbosoming  themselves  at  some  length.  The 
grievances  of  which  they  complained  were  the  arbitrary  action 
of  the  General  Assembly,  and  the  publications  in  the  periodical 
under  the  patronage  of  the  Synod. J  They  interpreted  the 
arrangement  at  Paris  as  a  compromise,  by  which  both  parties 
bound  themselves  to  mutual  silence  on  the  points  of  difference. 
.Messrs.  Burch,  W.  L.  Breckinridge,  and  Rice,  took  the  floor  in 
vindication  of  the  Synod,  and  of  the  paper,  of  which  the  two  last- 
named  gentlemen  were  joint  editors.  It  was  explicitly  main- 
tained by  them  that  all  the  Synod  meant  was,  that  the  minority 
would  not  be  required  to  approve  the  acts  of  1837  and  1838 ;  while 
it  was  their  understanding  that  so  long  as  approval  was  not  re- 
quired, the  minority  consented  to  adhere  and  submit  in  good  faith. 
This  agreement  the  Synod  had  never  violated  on  their  part,  nor 


*  Min.  Syn.  vol.  v.  p.  131.  f  Min.  Syn.  vol.  v.  pp.  125,  129. 

t  The  only  connection  of  the  Synod  with  the  Protestant  and  Herald,  was  a 
.recommendation  of  it  to  the  churches.  The  articles  which  gave  so  mucli  oflence 
were  certain  numbers  by  Mr.  Rice,  since  published  in  pamphlet  form,  (pp.  80,) 
entitled  The  Old  and  New  Schools.  This  was  a  masterly  production,  and  clearly 
stated  the  views  of  the  New  School  on  the  subjects  of  Imputation,  Atonement, 
Justification,  Regeneration,  Ability,  the  Missionary  Question,  and  Church 
Polity.  There  was  also  an  editorial  or  two,  by  Mr.  Breckinridge,  severely  re- 
flecting on  men  who  could  unblushingly  maltreat  the  church  with  which  they 
w-ere  connected  ;  wliich  gave  great  offence,  particularly  the  exclamation,  "  O 
shame  !  where  is  thy  blush  ?"  How  little  reason  there  was  to  complain,  must  be 
apparent  from  the  admission  into  the  Protestant  and  Herald,  of  a  series  of  ar- 
ticles from  Mr.  Stiles'  pen,  as  well  as  communications  from  Dr.  Cleland  in  reply 


CONCLUSION, 


353 


required  approval  of  any  one.  As  for  the  paper,  it  was  not  un- 
der the  control  of  Synod,  nor  was  Synod  responsible  for  its 
articles.  It  was  an  independent  press.  In  regard  to  the 
general  issue,  which,  after  so  long  slumber,  and  without  any 
new  provocation,  was  all  at  once  revived,  it  was  said  by  some 
of  the  speakers,  that,  for  themselves,  they  could  not  stay  in  a 
church  if  their  hearts  were  not  in  it.*  This  remark  was  misin- 
terpreted into  an  invitation  to  leave  the  church,  and  it  was  con- 
sidered as  unkind  in  the  Synod  to  suffer  the  interview  to  close 
without  taking  any  steps  to  remove  the  impression. f  The  truth 
was,  that  in  consequence  of  the  dissatisfied  brethren  requesting 
leave  of  absence  for  private  reasons,  the  Interlocutory  meeting 
was  abruptly  terminated.  J  In  consequence  of  this  interruption 
several  members  of  Synod  who  had  intended  to  express  their 
opinions,  were  prevented  from  doing  so,§  and  no  action  was  had 
in  the  premises.  The  whole  matter  was  afterwards  exceedingly 
misrepresented,  and  made  to  furnish  material  for  the  new  cry 
that  was  now  got  up,  the  pretence  of  persecution. 

So  far  from  regarding  the  admonition  of  the  Synod,  the  Bowl- 
ing-green Church,  or  rather,  a  portion  of  them,  took  an  inde- 
pendent stand,  and  published  to  the  world  their  reasons,  in  a 
pamphlet,  written  by  the  Rev.  Archer  C.  Dickerson,  and  signed 
by  himself  and  the  Session. || 

Mr.  Stiles,  true  to  the  new  ground  he  had  taken,  although  for 
the  last  three  years  he  had  professed  total  ignorance  of  the  con- 
troversy, and  perfect  indifference  to  it,  (absorbed  in  lecturing 
and  writing  against  Campbelhsm,T[)  delivered  two  discourses  at 
Versailles,  on  the  first  Sabbath  in  January  following,  (1840,)  of 
a  highly  inflammatory  character ;  in  which  he  inveighed  with 
great  severity  against  the  Assemblies  of  '37  and  '38,  and  the 
course  pursued  by  the  Synod,  These  discourses  produced  such 
a  ferment  that  a  called  meeting  of  the  West  Lexington  Presby- 
tery was  held  at  Versailles  on  the  21st  of  the  month,  to  take 


*  See  Price's  Speech,  p.  21. 

t  Manifesto,  p.  2.  t  M'"-  Sy°-  '^'o'-  "^'^  PP-  ^29,  130, 

5  Price's  Speech,  p.  46.  •  Reply  to  the  Manifesto,  p.  6. 

II  An  Expression  of  the  Views  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  at  BowHng-green, 
Ky.,  relative  to  the  late  dismemberment  of  the  Prcsb.  Ch.  in  the  U.  S.,  pp.  14. 

IT  Mr.  Stiles  had  held  several  oral  debates  with  Mr.  Campbell,  Mr.  Johnson, 
&c.  See  Letter  to  Alex.  Campbell,  pp.  57,  Reply  to  Alex.  Campbell,  No.  2, 
pp.  56,    He  also  contemplated  publishing  a  controversial  newspaper. 


354  THE    NEW    SCHOOL    SCHISM. 

into  consideration  the  sermons  and  the  distracted  state  of  the 
congregation.  Some  of  the  older  members  were  for  stringent 
and  decisive  measures  to  arrest  the  evil,  others  were  persuaded 
that  nothing  would  be  lost  by  delay,  while  several  churches 
might  be  saved  which  premature  action  might  alienate.  The 
milder  counsels  prevailed,  and  Mr.  Stiles  was  cautioned  to  be 
more  careful  in  his  future  course  and  statements.  Two  or  three 
ministerial  friends  had  a  private  conference  with  him,  in  which 
they  represented  the  evils  and  hazards  of  his  course.  But  their 
representations  were  in  vain  ;  he  was  obstinately  bent  on  pro- 
curing a  repeal  of  the  Assembly's  obnoxious  acts  by  exciting  an 
overwhelming  public  sentiment  against  them  among  the  private 
members  of  the  Church. 

The  Rev.  Joseph  C.  Stiles,  D.D.,  was  a  native  of  Georgia, 
(whence  he  removed  about  two  or  three  years  previously  to  the 
time  we  are  describing,)  and  had  been  a  lawyer  by  profession.  He 
was  endowed  by  nature  with  a  tall,  commanding  person,  impetuous 
and  impulsive  feelings,  an  exuberant  fancy,  an  earnest  vehemence 
of  manner,  and  a  perfect  torrent  of  eloquence.  His  fluency,  ani- 
mation, and  zeal,  made  him  a  highly  popular  preacher.  But 
with  these  qualities  he  combined  all  the  elements  of  an  enthu- 
siast. He  relied  on  a  divine  warrant  for  the  course  he  pursued  ; 
and  regardless  of  consequences  and  results,  pressed  forward,  ac- 
knowledging that  all  was  dark  before  him,  but  praying  for  light 
to  enable  him  to  take  one  step  at  a  time.  After  such  prayers, 
he  felt  a  happiness  that  he  was  satisfied  God  would  not  permit 
him  to  experience  if  he  were  in  error.* 

The  Rev.  Thomas  Cleland,  D.D,,  was  born  in  Maryland, 
A.D.  1777,  and  at  an  early  age  removed  to  Washington  county, 
Kentucky.  His  father  intended  him  for  the  law,  but  his  own 
preferences  were  for  the  ministry.  Always  serious  and  sedate, 
his  religious  impressions  were  deepened  under  the  preaching  of 
Dr.  Blythe,  while  at  Pisgah  academy.  His  education  was  in- 
terrupted by  the  death  of  his  father,  and  the  consequent  neces- 
sity of  his  succeeding  to  the  business,  which  was  that  of  an  inn- 
keeper. When  twenty-four  years  old,  he  attended  the  great 
camp-meeting  at  Cane  Ridge,  in  1801,  on  which  occasion  he  ex- 

*  See  a  curious  instance  of  his  early  insubordination,  Price's  Speech,  p.  32  ; 
and  of  his  boasting  of  having  "  scared"  Alexander  Campbell  by  the  directness 
of  his  prayers.     Reply  to  Campbell,  No.  2,  p.  42. 


CONCLUSION. 


355 


horted  for  two  hours,  to  which  several  persons  traced  their  con- 
version. After  this  he  was  frequently  asked  to  counsel  the  sick 
and  distressed  in  mind,  and  to  exhort  in  public.  When  the 
Presbytery  of  Transylvania  met  some  months  afterwards  to 
ordain  Mr.  Robertson,  Mr.  Cleland  repaired  thither  for  the  dou- 
ble purpose  of  obtaining  a  supply  for  his  neighborhood,  and  of 
procuring  a  clergyman  to  marry  him.  After  the  ceremony  was 
performed,  the  Presbytery  went  into  session,  and  at  about  eleven 
o'clock  at  night,  sent  for  Mr.  Cleland  to  meet  them.  To  his  sur- 
prise they  urged  him  to  prepare  for  the  ministry,  and  after  a 
long  interview,  released  him  at  one  o'clock,  charging  him  to 
consider  the  matter,  and  give  them  an  answer  in  the  morning. 
What  deg^ree  of  reflection  a  young  man  was  likely  to  bestow 
upon  such  a  subject  on  his  wedding  night,  must  be  left  to  the 
reader's  conjectures.  In  due  time  Mr.  Cleland  was  licensed, 
and  for  awhile  was  connected  with  one  of  Mr.  Templin's 
churches  in  Washington  county.  The  standing  he  enjoyed 
among  his  brethren  may  be  inferred  from  his  being  one  of  the 
Commission  of  Synod  in  the  Cumberland  difficulties,  in  1805. 
In  1813,  he  was  ordained  over  New  Providence  and  Cane  Run 
(now  Harrodsburg)  churches,  where  he  labored  for  many  years 
with  remarkable  success.  He  was  blessed  with  several  revi- 
vals, and  hundreds  looked  to  him  as  their  spiritual  father.  Dr. 
Cleland  has  been  a  diligent  student,  and  has  wielded  the  pen 
with  signal  ability  against  Mr.  Stone,  and  against  Alexander 
Campbell.  His  writings  were  popular  and  had  an  extensive 
sale.  His  printed  works  are,  1.  A  Brief  History  of  the  Action 
of  Synod  in  the  case  of  the  Cumberland  Presbyterians,  1823,  pp. 
29,  8vo.  2.  The  Socini-Arian  Detected,  a  scries  of  letters  to  B. 
W.  Stone,  1815,  pp.  101.  12mo.  3.  Unitarianism  Unmasked,  a 
Reply  to  Stone's  Letters  to  Blythe,  1825,  pp.  184.  12mo.  5. 
Narrative  of  the  Bodily  Exercises,  in  the  Biblical  Repertory, 
July,  1834.  G.  Letters  on  Campbellism.  7.  A  Hymn  Book, 
selected  for  the  use  of  prayer  meetings,  revivals,  &c.,  an  excel- 
lent collection,  and  extensively  used  in  the  West.  That  one  who 
had  been  so  valorous  a  champion  for  orthodoxy  and  sound  order 
should  throw  himself  into  the  arms  of  the  New  School,  naturally 
created  some  surprise ;  but,  notwithstanding  his  popularity,  (to 
secure  which  great  pains  were  taken  to  win  him  over.)  he  failed 
to  carry  the  great  body  of  his  church  along  with  him. 


356  THE    NEW    SCHOOL    SCHISM. 

Before  the  close  of  the  winter  appeared  a  manifesto,  signed 
by  Messrs.  Cleland,  Stiles,  Winston,  and  Maccoun.  Mr.  Win- 
ston was  the  bosom  friend  of  Mr.  Stiles,  and  had  recently  ac- 
companied him  from  Georgia.  Mr.  Maccoun  was  an  elder  of 
Dr.  Cleland's  Church.  The  manifesto  denounced  in  no  measured 
terms  the  reform  measures  as  erecting  a  new  basis,  and  invited 
a  convention  of  sympathizers  at  Versailles.* 

On  the  17th  of  March  the  Convention  met.  It  was  composed 
of  nine  ministers  and  twenty  elders,  some  of  whom  attended 
solely  with  a  view  to  preserve  peace  and  prevent  an  open 
schism.f  Two  of  the  ministers  were  avowed  New  School  men, 
and  not  in  connection  with  the  Old  School  Assembly,  Messrs. 
Dickerson  and  Alexander  Wheeler  Campbell,J  After  a  session 
of  two  days,  the  Convention  adjourned  to  meet  again  at  the  call 
of  the  chairman ;  a  committee  being  appointed  to  issue  an  ad- 
dress to  the  public,  setting  forth  their  views.  In  this  whole  busi- 
ness Mr.  Stiles  was  the  leading  spirit,  and  the  Address  bears  the 
evident  impress  of  his  fervid  pen.§ 

Now  were  the  meetings  of  Presbytery  converted  into  scenes 
of  continual  altercation.  Mr.  Stiles  omitted  no  opportunity  of 
introducing  his  favorite  opinions,  while  the  reform  measures 


*  '•  A  Manifesto,  containing  a  plain  statement  of  facts,  relative  to  the  acts  and 
doings  of  the  General  Assemby  and  its  inferior  judicatories,  together  with  the 
sentiments  of  the  undersigned  members  of  the  Synod  of  Kentucky,"  p.  22.  To 
this  manifesto  a  "  Reply"  was  published  by  the  writer  of  these  pages,  which 
called  forth  an  "Answer"  from  the  Rev.  Harvey  Woods  ;  a  further  notice  in 
"  The  Presbyterian  Controversy  Settled,"  by  Dr.  Cleland  ;  and  a  "  Review"  by 
Dr.  Stiles,  in  the  Presbyterian  Sentinel,  vols.  i.  and  ii.  (a  periodical  started  in 
Louisville,  by  the  dissatisfied  brethren,  in  the  fall  of  1841.)  Each  of  the  three 
condescended  to  petty  personalities,  unworthy  of  themselves  and  of  the  grave  con- 
troversy in  which  they  were  embarked.  The  New  School  Assembly,  by  an  odd 
misnomer,  assumed  the  name  of  The  Constitutional  Assembly,  although  retaining 
the  unconstitulional  Congregational  elements  ;  while  to  that  of  the  Old  School 
was  given  the  equally  inappropriate  title  of  The  Ne^v  Basis  Assembly,  although 
they  were  actually  restoring  the  old  basis  of  the  Church.  This  latter  term  was 
a  perversion  of  the  very  harmless  words  in  the  first  of  the  Three  Acts  of  1838, 
requiring  adherence  "upon  the  basis  of  the  Assembhes  of  1837  and  1838;" 
meaning  nothing  more  than  submission  to  the  reform  measures  of  those  Assem- 
blies. 

i  Price's  Speech,  p.  35. 

X  Tliis  is  the  gentleman  who  distinguished  himself  in  the  New  School  Assem- 
bly of  1846  by  his  proposal  of  a  joint  celebration  of  the  Lord's  Supper  by  the 
two  Assemblies,  as  an  initiative  towards  a  re-union.  This  may  be  regarded  as 
a  well-meant  atonement  for  his  divisive  course  in  Kentucky,  although  by  the 
blundering  way  in  which  it  was  managed,  it  did  more  harm  than  good,  and 
served  to  postpone  the  desired  re-union. 

\  See  Proceedings  of  the  Convention  at  Versailles,  with  Address,  p.  21. 


CONCLUSION.  357 

found  able  advocates  in  Messrs.  Price  and  Bullock.  At  length 
matters  reached  a  crisis.  A  respectable  minority  of  the  Ver- 
sailles congregation  memorialized  the  West  Lexington  Presby- 
tery against  IVh*.  Stiles'  being  settled  part  of  his  time  over  them, 
on  account  of  their  disapprobation  of  his  proceedings.  The 
Presbytery,  in  the  exercise  of  that  supervisory  power  with  which 
the  constitution  invests  them,*  acceded  to  their  wishes.  Upon 
this,  the  session  undertook  to  discipline  the  memorialists,  among 
whom  was  one  of  their  own  number  whom  they  suspended.  On 
their  appeal  to  the  Presbytery,  this  decision  was  reversed,  and 
the  session  themselves  deposed  on  the  ground  of  malicious  pro- 
secution, and  manifest  unfitness  for  their  office.  The  Session  in 
turn  appealed  to  the  Synod  ;  and  the  appeal  was  issued  at  Dan- 
ville, September  24th.  After  a  warmly  contested  trial,  the 
Synod,  "  in  view  of  the  extraordinary  nature  of  the  Session's 
proceedings,  the  obvious  partiality,  prejudice,  injustice,  and  irre- 
gularity of  their  course,"  sustained  the  decision  of  the  Presby- 
tery, with  the  exception  of  the  suspension  from  church  privileges. 
The  Presbytery  being  technically  out  of  the  house,  the  vote  stood, 
ayes,  20  ;  noes,  10  ;  non  liquet,  l.f 

Heated  by  enthusiasm,  flattered  by  his  satellites,  spurred  on 
by  his  correspondents,  and  mistaking  the  caution  of  the  Presby- 
tery for  cowardice,  Mr.  Stiles  became  insufferably  arrogant  in 
his  demeanor.  The  Presbytery  waited  their  time,  unmoved,  and 
were  neither  to  be  hurried  nor  provoked  by  his  taunts  or  de- 
fiances ;  J  for  they  perceived  that  every  month's  delay  strength- 
ened their  hands  and  weakened  those  of  their  adversaries.  The 
malcontents,  finding  that  they  had  little  hope  of  success  un- 
less they  could  appeal  to  the  native  repugnance  of  the  Western 
people  to  tyranny  and  oppression,  were  clamorous  for  persecu- 
cution,  and  eager  for  the  influence  and  popularity  which  such  a 
cry  would  create  ;  but  the  prudent  conduct  of  the  Church  Courts 
afforded  not  the  slightest  pretext  for  such  an  appeal.  In  truth 
it  would  have  been  too  ridiculous  to  pretend  in  one  breath  that 


*  Form  of  Govt.  Book  I.  c.  X.  sect.  8. 

t  Min.  Syn.  vol.  v.  p.  145. 

I  "  Mr.  Stiles  had.  in  writing,  complained  to  Synod  that  his  Presbytery  would 
not  try  hiin.  He  had,  in  a  speech  delivered  to  the  Synod,  taunted  the  Presby- 
tery for  not  trying  him,  and  more  than  insinuated  that  the  Presbytery  was  afraid 
of  him."     Price's  Speech,  p.  7. 


358  .    THE    NEW    SCHOOL    SCHISM. 

their  power  and  influence  intimidated  the  Old  School  body,  and 
at  the  same  time  that  they  were  so  helpless  as  to  be  the  victims 
of  their  unsparing  persecution. 

The  result  was  precipitated  by  Mr.  Stiles'  circulating  reports 
unfavorable  to  the  veracity  of  the  Rev.  Jacob  F.  Price,  formerly 
his  bosom  friend.*  Mr.  Price,  conceiving  it  due  to  his  own 
character  not  to  rest  under  such  imputations,  arraigned  Mr. 
Stiles  before  the  West  Lexington  Presbytery  on  the  double 
charge  of  public  and  private  offences. 

Mr.  Stiles,  in  turn,  tabled  charges  against  Mr.  Price.  The 
personal  difficulties  were,  however,  adjusted  at  the  meeting  of 
the  Synod,  in  September,  through  the  friendly  intervention  of 
Dr.  Blythe,  President  Young  and  General  McAfee.  Mutual 
concessions  were  made,  and  all  the  private  charges  were  with- 
drawn. Mr.  Price  was  willing  to  withdraw  the  public  charges 
also  ;  but  this  Mr.  Stiles  would  not  permit,  and  insisted  on  a 
trial. f 

Accordingly,  in  the  month  of  November,  1840,  the  Presbytery 
met,  in  Versailles,  and  fearlessly  entered  on  the  discharge  of  their 
duty,  in  the  midst  of  obloquy  and  reviUngs  from  the  devoted  par- 
tisans of  the  accused.  One  member  was  a  viper ;  another  was 
a  bloodhound  ;  another  was  a  Grand  Inquisitor  ;  another  was  a 
Juvenile  Patriarch  ;  another  was  compared  to  the  beast  in  the 
Revelation  that  looked  like  a  lamb  and  spoke  like  a  dragon.  Mr. 
Stiles  was  tried  on  the  general  charge  of  "A  Breach  of  Ministe- 
rial Vows,  in  attempting  to  produce  Schism."  Under  this  were 
embraced  seven  specifications,  viz  : 

"  Specification  I.  By  misrepresenting  and  holding  up  the  acts 
of  the  highest  judicatory  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  in  sermons 
and  various  publications,  as  arbitrary,  tyrannical,  oppressive,  &c., 
calculated  to  prejudice  the  character  of  the  Church,  when  he  had 
twice  votedj  to  adhere  and  submit  to  the  Old  School  Assembly, 
with  a  full  knowledge  of  these  acts. 

"  Specification  II.  By  misrepresenting  the  Synod  at  Hopkins- 
ville,  and  attempting  to  throw  odium  upon  it. 

*  Letter  to  Stiles,  Price's  Speech,  p.  45.  Mr.  Price  was  pastor  of  the  Pisgah 
congregation,  and  a  descendant  of  the  venerable  Jacob  Fishback. 

I  Price's  Speech,  p.  48. 

X  Once  at  Winchester,  in  18.38,  on  the  vote  to  approve  the  Report  of  the  writer 
of  these  pages,  who  had,  as  a  Commissioner  of  the  Presbytery,  sat  in  the  Old 
School  Assembly ;  and  a  second  time,  at  Paris,  in  Synod. 


CONCLUSION.  359 

"  Specification  III.  By  pursuing  such  a  course,  and  making 
such  representations  of  the  Church,  of  which  he  is  a  minister  and 
member,  as  tend  to  produce  schism. 

"  Specification  IV.  By  declaring,  in  open  Presbytery,  and  else- 
where, that  he  first  purposed,  upon  his  return  from  Synod  last  fall, 
to  leave,  but  afterwards  concluded  to  remain  in  his  present  eccle- 
siastical connection,  to  enlighten  the  minds  of  his  brethren,  and 
bring  the  Church  over  to  his  views,  i.  e.,  to  agitate  and  distract 
the  churches. 

"Specification  V.  By  aiding  in  calling  a  Convention,  to  be  com- 
posed in  part  of  ministers  and  laymen  not  in  our  ecclesiastical  con- 
nection, to  counsel  and  advise  what  he  should  do  as  to  his  present 
church  relations. 

"Specification  VI.  By  aiding  and  abetting  the  Session  of  the 
Versailles  Presbyterian  Church  in  a  slanderous  and  party  prose- 
cution, against  the  minority  of  said  church,  for  expressing  in  me- 
morials to  the  West  Lexington  Presbytery  their  belief  of  the  in- 
jurious tendency  of  his  course. 

"  Specification  VII.  By  aiding  and  abetting  the  Rev.  A.  W. 
Campbell,  who  has  been  attempting  to  draw  off  the  Greer's  Creek 
Church  froin  its  present  ecclesiastical  connection."* 

The  examination  of  the  witnesses,  and  the  hearing  of  the  par- 
ties, occupied  four  days,  after  which  the  decision  of  the  court 
w^as  rendered,  as  follows: 

"  Presbytery  having  deliberately  and  seriously  considered  the 
case  of  prosecution  against  the  Rev.  J.  C.  Stiles,  have  come  to  the 
following  conclusion  or  judgment,  viz :  That  the  charge  and  spe- 
cifications preferred  against  the  Rev.  J.  C.  Stiles  are  established 
by  the  evidence  ;  and  that  he  be  admonished  by  the  Moderator 
of  the  serious  and  lamentable  evils  he  has  occasioned  to  the 
Church  and  its  judicatories  by  his  imprudent,  agitating,  revolu- 
tionary and  schismatical  course,  and  that  he  be  warned  against 
a  continuance  of  such  conduct ;  and  further,  that  Mr.  Stiles  be 
requested  to  subscribe  the  following  acknowledgment,  viz  :  '  I 
acknowledge  the  course  I  have  pursued  to  be  wrong,  and  at- 
tended with  evil  consequences,  which  I  deeply  regret,  and  I 


*  Mr.  Stiles  had  assisted  Mr.  Campbell  in  holdintr  a  sacramental  meeting  at 
this  church,  with  a  view  to  Mr.  C.'s  settlement,  and  had  sat  down  at  the  table, 
and  taken  the  elements  from  his  hands. 


360  THE    NEW    SCHOOL    SCHISM. 

solemnly  promise,  in  reliance  on  Divine  grace,  to  abstain  in 
future  from  all  such  measures  as  tend  to  divide  and  distract  the 
Church.'  And  if  Mr.  Stiles  nov^^  submit  to  this  decision,  he  be 
considered  as  in  good  standing  in  the  Church  ;  but  if  he  refuse  to 
submit,  that  he  be  forthwith  suspended,  for  contumacy,  from  all 
the  functions  of  the  Gospel  ministry,  until  he  shall  submit." 

The  above  minute  was  adopted  by  the  following  vote :  Ayes, 
21  ;  (nine  ministers,  twelve  elders,)  Noes,  3;  (all  of  whom  were 
elders.) 

The  decision  was  then  read  to  the  defendant,  to  which  he  re- 
fused to  submit,  or  to  any  censure  the  body  might  deliver  ; 
whereupon  the  Moderator  proceeded  to  pronounce  the  sentence 
of  suspension  from  all  the  functions  of  the  Gospel  ministry.* 
The  defendant  rose  in  his  place  and  received  the  sentence,  and 
immediately  left  the  house,  followed  by  a  large  number  of  his 
adherents,  principally  of  the  female  sex,  some  of  whom  made  in- 
sulting remarks  to  the  members  as  they  passed.  The  Presby- 
tery, the  next  year,  finding  that  Mr.  Stiles  continued  to  preach 
notwithstanding  this  suspension,  passed  a  resolution  to  depose 
him  from  the  office  of  the  ministry,  and  recognize  him  no  more 
as  a  minister  or  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

Meantime,  in  the  course  of  the  winter,  the  Convention  met  in 
the  city  of  Lexington,  for  the  double  purpose  of  shielding  Mr. 
Stiles,  and  of  gathering  a  great  harvest  from  the  two  Presbyte- 
rian Churches  in  that  place.  They  had  been  promised  hundreds 
of  adherents  if  they  would  make  a  strong  demonstration  there  ; 
but  although  they  were  in  session  several  days,  (in  the  Methodist 
Church,)  and  had  many  discussions  and  speeches,  and  had  now, 
in  addition,  the  magic  spell  of  pretended  persecution  to  conjure 
with,  they  gained  not  a  single  proselyte  from  the  second  church, 
and  but  half  a  dozen  from  the  first.  The  Convention  resolved 
itself  into  a  Synod,  embracing  three  Presbyteries,  each  Presby- 
tery consisting  of  a  bare  quorum  of  ministers  ;  some  of  whom 
were  importations  from  Ohio  and  Tennessee.  One  of  their  first 
acts  was  to  restore  Mr.  Stiles.  The  new  Synod  (which  took  the 
name  of  the  Synod  of  Kentucky,  and  for  a  time  assumed  an  in- 
dependent stand,  but  soon  after  joined  the  New  School  Assem- 
bly) commenced  its  career  with  nine  or  ten  ministers,  and  a  frag- 

*  Min.  of  West  Lex.  Pby.     Price's  Speech,  p.  42. 


CONCLUSION. 


3G1 


ment  of  a  church;  but  m  1842  they  boasted  of  eleven  ministers 
and  fourteen  churches.  They  have  had  httle  accession  to  their 
strength  of  late,  especially  since  the  master-spirit,  Mr.  Stiles,  re- 
moved to  Richmond,  Virginia.  The  New  School  Synod  of  Ken- 
tucky at  present  embraces  the  Presbytery  of  Harmony,  with  six 
ministers  and  nine  churches  ;  the  Presbytery  of  Providence,  with 
four  ministers  and  five  churches ;  and  the  Presbytery  of  Green 
river,  with  four  ministers  and  seven  churches  ;  in  all,  fourteen 
ministers,  twenty-one  churches,  and  nine  hundred  and  fifty-four 
communicants.* 

It  was  rumored  in  the  year  1845  that  they  took  into  serious 
consideration  the  subject  of  a  re-union  with  the  Old  School 
Synod,  but  having  previously  agreed  to  do  nothing  unless  they 
could  be  unanimous,  and  two  of  the  members  (understood  to  be 
Dr.  Cleland  and  Mr.  Dickerson)  opposing  the  proposition,  it  was 
dropped. 

The  failure  of  this  attempt  to  create  an  important  schism,  in 
spite  of  the  eloquence  of  one  of  the  parties,  and  the  respect  and 
aflfection  which  clustered  round  the  name  of  another,  reflects 
great  credit  on  the  firmness  and  Christian  courtesy  of  the  Old 
School  body.  Seldom  has  there  been  so  overwhelming  a  major- 
ity that  used  their  power  with  so  much  moderation.  They  were 
indeed  greatly  grieved  at  the  defection  of  such  a  man  as  Dr. 
Cleland,  and  would  even  now  gladly  hail  his  return.  They  could 
not  easily  forget  the  noble  part  he  acted  in  the  stormy  times  of 
1805,  when  he  sat  as  one  of  the  Commission  of  Synod  to  adjust 
the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  difficulties,  and  they  lamented  the 
contrast  between  his  present  and  his  former  positions. 

In  1841,  the  Presbyterian  Church  was  called  to  mourn  the  loss 
of  that  eminent  servant  of  God,  the  Rev.  John  Breckinkidgb, 
D.D.  This  eloquent  and  popular  divine  was  born  July  4th,  1797, 
at  Cabin's  Dale,  the  family  seat,  near  Lexington,  Kentucky.  His 
father  was  the  late  Hon.  John  Breckinridge,  a  leading  statesman 
in  his  day,  and  Attorney-General  of  the  United  States  under  Pre- 
sident Jefferson.  His  mother  was  of  the  Cabell  family  of  Vir- 
ginia. She  was  a  remarkably  strong-minded  woman,  and  like 
the  mother  of  the  Gracchi,  might  look  with  pardonable  pride 

*  Min.  N.  S.  G.  A.  for  1846. 


362  THE    i\EW    SCHOOL    SCHISM. 

upon  her  children,  whom  it  was  her  first  care  to  teach  to  fear 
God,  her  next,  not  to  fear  the  face  of  man.  He  was  educated  at 
Nassau  Hall,  under  President  Green,  and  was  designed  for  the 
law  ;  but  in  the  midst  of  his  gay  and  wild  career,  he  was  con- 
verted by  the  grace  of  God,  and  devoted  himself  to  the  ministry, 
much  against  his  family's  (then)  wishes.  In  1822  he  was  made 
Chaplain  to  Congress  ;  and  in  1823  ordained  pastor  of  the  2d  or 
McChord  Church  in  Lexington,  in  his  native  State.  Here  he 
successfully  combated  Dr.  Holley,  and  the  Infidel  party  who  sup- 
ported him  ;  to  aid  in  which  contest  he  established  the  Western 
Luminary.  In  1826,  he  was  called  to  the  Second  Presbyterian 
Church  in  Baltimore,  and  under  his  faithful  ministry  a  powerful 
revival  soon  followed.  In  1831,  he  was  appointed  Correspond- 
ing Secretary  and  General  Agent  of  the  Assembly's  Board  of 
Education  ;  to  which  he  gave  such  an  impulse  during  the  five 
years  he  was  at  the  helm,  as  to  augment  the  number  of  beneficia- 
ries from  sixty  to  a  thousand.  Without  doubt,  the  Old  School 
cause  was  indebted  for  much  of  its  stability  to  his  unparalleled 
energy  and  exertions.  In  1836,  he  went  to  Princeton  Seminary, 
as  Professor  of  Pastoral  Theology,  but  resigned  the  chair  in  1838, 
for  the  more  active  duties  of  the  Agency  of  the  Assembly's  new 
Board  of  Foreign  Missions.  To  this  object  he  brought  his  charac- 
teristic enthusiasm,  and  contributions  flowed  into  the  treasury  in 
an  unwonted  stream.  He  not  only  travelled,  or  rather  flew,  over 
the  United  States,  but  extended  his  tour  to  the  republic  of  Texas, 
where  he  was  treated  by  the  highest  functionaries  with  marked  re- 
spect, and  was  requested  to  nominate  chaplains  for  the  navy. 
His  health  failing,  he  resigned,  and  spent  two  winters  in  New 
Orleans,  preaching  to  the  church  of  which  he  was  elected  pastor. 
Had  his  life  been  spared,  he  would  have  accepted  the  Presidency 
of  Oglethorpe  University  in  Georgia.  But  his  race  was  run. 
The  effect  of  his  residence  in  the  South  was  to  derange  his  biliary 
organs,  prostrate  his  nervous  energy,  and  develope  bronchitis. 
He  returned  to  the  family  seat,  Cabell's  Dale,  and  died,  after  a 
protracted  illness,  on  the  4th  of  August,  1841,  in  the  forty-fourth 
year  of  his  age.  His  last  hours  were  tranquil  ;  not  triumphant, 
but  serene.  He  reposed  with  firm  faith  on  the  mediation  of  the 
Redeemer.  He  calmly  watched  the  cessation  of  his  pulse,  and 
the  various  symptoms  of  approaching  death.     His  last  words 


CONCLUSION. 


363 


were,  **  God  is  with  me  !"  A  little  after  lie  sweetly  fell  asleep  in 
Jesus.* 

Dr.  Breckinridge  was  twice  married.  His  first  wife  was  Mar- 
garet, daughter  of  Dr.  Miller,  of  Princeton  ;  his  second  was  Mary 
Ann,  daughter  of  Mr.  Babcock,  of  Stonington,  Connecticut.  He 
left  one  son  and  three  daughters. 

Dr.  Breckinridge  was  a  model  of  manly  beauty,  and  his  finely 
proportioned  person  was  set  off"  by  the  most  aflfable  deportment 
and  courtly  manners.  He  was  a  Christian  gentleman,  in  every 
sense  of  the  word.  His  popularity  was  unbounded,  and  he  won 
all  hearts  wherever  he  appeared.  He  occupied  the  foremost 
rank  among  the  pulpit  orators  of  America.  All  classes  were 
alike  captivated  by  his  eloquence,  though  they  might  not  be  able 
to  tell  wherein  lav  the  charm.  His  oratorv  was  of  that  jrlowinor 
and  earnest  style  peculiar  to  the  South,  which  cares  little  for 
satisfying  the  intellect  if  it  cannot  also  reach  the  heart.  When 
he  spoke,  every  feature  of  his  countenance  was  lit  up  with  ex- 
pression. Brilliant  in  the  pulpit,  and  tender  in  pastoral  visitation, 
he  yet  excelled  in  that  practical  tact  and  mastery  of  other  men's 
minds  which  peculiarly  fit  for  great  undertakings.  Sanguine  in 
his  temperament,  he  infected  every  one  else  with  his  enthusiasm. 
Fearless  and  intrepid,  he  never  forgot,  nor  allowed  others  to 
forget,  that  he  was  a  Kentuckian.  Of  an  active  turn,  he  was 
incessantly  occupied,  in  addition  to  his  professional  duties,  with 
the  various  benevolent  schemes  of  the  day ;  and  of  colonization 
in  particular,  he  was  an  ardent,  and,  amid  the  hisses  and  de- 
nunciations of  its  enemies,  an  unflinching  advocate.  He  shrank 
not  from  polemical  discussion,  and  once  maintained  a  controversy 

*  Will  it  bo  believed,  that  of  such  a  man,  and  after  so  short  an  interval,  the 
scandalous  story  should  be  raised,  that  on  liis  deatii-bed  he  repented  bitterly  of  hav- 
ing spoken  against  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  and  begged  to  unburden  his 
conscience  to  a  priest,  but  that  his  hard-hearted  brothers  refused,  and  buried  him 
in  silence  and  privacy  !  This  atrocious  calumny  has  been  recently  told  by  the 
(Roman)  Catholic  News  Letter,  of  St.  Louis!!!  His  brothers,  William  and 
Robert,  have  published  an  indignant  and  unqualified  denial  of  the  whole  fabrica- 
tion. The  writer  of  these  pages  may  be  permitted  to  add,  that  he  visited  and 
conversed  with  this  eminent  servant  of  God  during  his  last  sickness,  and  was 
present  at  his  burial,  amid  the  ashes  of  his  kindred.  The  funeral  was  attended 
by  a  large  and  respectable  concourse,  from  Lexington  and  the  immediate  vicinity, 
and  a  sermon  was  preached  on  the  occasion  by  tiie  pastor  of  the  neighboring 
church.  He  hesitates  not  to  pronounce  this  .story  one  of  the  most  base  and 
malignant  libels  ever  propagated.  Tb.e  News  l^etter  has  felt  itself  compelled  to 
retract  the  falsehood,  in  the  most  unequivocal  manner,  but  ignorance  and  preju- 
dice will  doubtless  continue  to  retail  the  calumny. 


364  THE    NEW    SCHOOL    SCHISM. 

with  the  Roman  Catholic  Bishop,  Hughes,  who  found  him  no  con- 
temptible antagonist.  He  fell  a  sacrifice  to  his  unwearied 
activity.  In  Baltimore,  in  1829,  he  ruptured  a  blood-vessel,  but 
when  urged  by  his  medical  adviser  to  desist  from  preaching, 
"  Doctor,"  said  he,  "  I  had  rather  wear  out  than  rust  out  in  my 
Master's  service."  Visiting  the  writer  of  this  sketch  on  his  way 
to  New  Orleans,  in  1840,  the  doubt  was  suggested  whether  the 
climate  would  not  injure  his  shattered  constitution,  and  never 
will  his  characteristic  answer  be  forgotten.  Quoting  a  remark 
of  Whitefield,  he  replied,  while  his  eye  kindled  with  unnatural 
lustre,  "  /  a7n  immortal  till  my  work  is  done.^' 

In  the  year  1846,  died  the  Rev.  Joshua  Lacy*  Wilson,  D.D. 
He  was  born  in  Bedford  county,  Virginia,  Sept.  22,  1774,  and  in 
the  fall  of  1781,  when  seven  years  of  age,  removed  to  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Danville,  Kentucky,  with  his  mother  and  step-father, 
John  Templin,  father  of  Terah  Templin.  They  spent  two  years 
in  stations,  and  at  Harrod's  Station  heard  Mr.  Rice's  first  sermon. 
They  afterwards  removed  to  a  small  farm  in  Jessamine  county. 
He  was  brought  up  to  the  trade  of  a  blacksmith,  and  had  no 
education  beyond  what  his  mother  gave  him,  till  he  was  twenty- 
two  years  old.  At  that  period  he  was  converted,  and  joined  the 
Jessamine  Church.  He  was  baptized  by  Mr.  Crawford,  in  a  log 
house,  with  an  earthen  floor  and  a  fire  in  the  centre,  the  smoke 
escaping  as  it  could.  Being  of  a  vigorous  and  inquiring  mind, 
he  now  sold  the  farm,  and  with  the  proceeds  procured  an  educa- 
tion at  Pisgah  Academy  and  elsewhere,  and  afterwards  became 
himself  a  teacher  in  Frankfort.  Here  he  spent  two  years,  and 
commenced  reading  law,  but  abandoned  it  for  theology.  He 
studied  with  Rev.  Mr.  Vance  on  Beargrass,  in  1800,  and  assist- 
ed him  at  the  same  time  in  his  classical  school.  In  1802  he  was 
licensed  at  Spring  Hill,  Tennessee,  (Mr.  Craighead's  church,) 
and  in  1804  was  ordained  pastor  of  Bardstown  and  Big  Spring 
Churches,  being  now  thirty  years  of  age.  In  1805,  he  sat  as  a 
member  of  the  Commission  of  Synod  in  the  Cumberland  difficul- 
ties. In  1808,  he  was  called  to  the  (First)  Church  in  Cincinnati, 
where  he  remained  for  thirty-eight  years,  part  of  the  time  teach- 
ing a  classical  school. 

This  church  had  been  organized  in  1791,  by  Father  Rice,  and 
the  pulpit  had  been  filled  by  the  Rev.  James  Kemper,  William 

*  He  was  a  nephew  of  the  Rev.  Drury  Lacy,  of  Virginia. 


CONCLUSION'. 


3G5 


Arthurs,  Peter  Wilson,  M.  G.  Wallace,  and  John  Davies.  The 
town  was  small,  having  been  built  but  five  years,  and  contained 
only  1,500  inhabitants.  The  church  consisted  of  but  80  members, 
scattered  over  20  miles.  It  was  then,  and  for  twelve  years,  the 
only  church  in  the  place.  But  its  growth  was  great.  At  one 
time  it  had  600  communicants,  and  from  it  have  been  colonized 
no  fewer  than  five  churches.  In  1828,  occurred  a  great  revival, 
which  originated  in  this  congregation,  when  nearly  five  hundred 
were  added  to  the  First  and  Second  Churches.  The  anxious-seat 
and  camp-meetings  were  then  introduced  by  Messrs.  Ross  and 
Gallaher,  with  the  pastor's  sanction,  but  he  afterwards  decided- 
ly disapproved  of  them. 

When  the  New  School  difficulties  commenced.  Dr.  Wilson 
was  one  of  the  first  to  take  the  alarm.  He  threw  down  the 
gauntlet  in  1831,  by  the  publication  of  his  Four  Propositions, 
exposing  the  ambitious  designs  of  the  Home  Missionary  Society. 
The  Pandect  having  been  manoeuvred  out  of  his  hands,  and  con- 
verted into  the  Cincinnati  Journal,  a  New  School  print,  he  start- 
ed the  Standard  without  prospectus  or  subscriptions.  Dr. 
William  Ridgley  and  Mr.  Cist  aided  gratuitously  in  the  edito- 
rial department,  (till  Mr.  Burtt  was  employed  as  sole  editor,) 
and  Messrs.  John  Mahard,  James  Mclntire,  John  and  Nathan 
Baker,  and  James  Johnson,  were  the  principal  friends  who  aided 
with  their  purse. 

Dr.  Wilson  was  consulted  by  the  Messrs.  Lane  about  their 
projected  Seminary,  and  was  instrumental  in  inviting  Dr.  Beecher 
to  its  presidency  in  1832 ;  but  becoming  satisfied  of  Dr.  Beecher's 
unsoundness,  he  prosecuted  him  for  heresy,  first  before  the  Pres- 
bytery, and  next  before  the  Cincinnati  Synod,  in  October,  1835. 
The  appeal  was  sustained,  and  Dr.  Beecher  admonished  to  be 
more  guarded  in  future.  At  the  Synod's  request  Dr.  Beecher  pub- 
lished his  Views  in  Theology,  pp,  240, 12mo.  Dr.  Wilson,  being 
dissatisfied  with  the  mild  course  of  the  Synod,  carried  an  appeal  to 
the  Assembly  of  1836,  but  was  persuaded  to  withdraw  it,  as  Mr. 
Barnes'  case  would  settle  the  principle  involved.  This  unplea- 
sant business  was  conducted  throughout  without  any  personal 
animosity,  or  a  single  unkind  word,  according  to  his  distinguished 
adversary's  own  admission. 

Dr.  Wilson,  for  some  years  before  his  death,  was  in  feeble 
health,  in  consequence  of  injuries  received  from  the  overturning 
24 


ggg  THE    NEW    SCHOOL    SCHISM. 

of  a  coach,  and  his  son  was  associated  with  him  in  the  pastoral 
charge.  He  departed  this  hfe  on  the  14th  of  August,  1846,  in 
the  72d  year  of  his  age.  His  death-bed  was  composed  and 
happy.  '"  Heart  cannot  conceive,"  said  he,  with  beaming  coun- 
tenance, "  tongue  cannot  tell,  what  I  feel ;  yes,  all  is  well." 

Dr.  Wilson  was  not  an  eloquent  man  in  the  ordinary  sense  of 
the  term ;  but  his  matter  was  weighty,  well-digested,  and  per- 
spicuous, and  his  manner  deeply  impressive,  dignified,  and  devout. 
His  person  was  uncommonly  tall,  and  his  presence  commanding. 
He  had  some  of  the  faults  common  to  the  self-educated  ;  and  his 
original  and  independent  turn  made  him  appear  to  some  eccen- 
tric, to  others  bigoted  and  harsh.  Thus  he  never  would  allow 
his  portrait  to  be  taken,  as  he  deemed  it  a  violation  of  the  second 
commandment.  But  no  one  denied  his  stern  unbending  inte- 
grity, his  candor,  conscientiousness,  and  truth.  His  character 
was  unsullied  and  beyond  reproach.  Whatever  were  his  deter- 
minations, he  stood  up  in  their  defence  like  a  sturdy  oak,  that 
never  bends  its  head  to  the  storm ;  and  when  convinced  of  a 
mistake,  he  acknowledged  it  with  equal  promptness  and  mag- 
nanimity. For  thirty-eight  years  he  was  at  the  head  of  every 
social,  moral,  and  intellectual  enterprise  of  the  day  in  Cincinnati, 
and  to  his  personal  influence  Cincinnati  College  is  largely 
indebted  for  her  existence  and  prosperity. 

His  published  writings  are  :  1.  Four  Propositions  sustained 
against  the  Home  Missionary  Society;  1831,  pp.  19,  12mo. 
2.  Letter  to  Dr.  Nelson  ;  1834,  pp.  12,  12mo.  3.  Letter  to  Dr. 
Bishop,  1835,  pp.  14,  8vo.  4.  A  Pamphlet  to  the  Editors  of 
the  Bibl.  Repert.  on  the  Act  and  Test.,  signed,  A  Gentleman. 
5,  One  Proposition  sustained  against  the  New  School ;  1835,  pp. 
16,  12mo.  6.  Plea  before  Synod  of  Cine,  in  the  case  of  Dr. 
Beecher;  1837,  pp.  120,  8vo.  7.  Episcopal  Methodism,  or 
Dagonism  Exhibited,  in  answer  to  a  poem  in  three  cantos,  called 
The  Dagon  of  Calvinism,  or  the  Moloch  of  Decrees.  8.  A  Dis- 
course against  Witchcraft ;  intended  to  apply  to  Mesmerism  and 
Clairvoyance.    1846. 

Here  closes  our  sketch  of  the  eventful  history  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church  in  Kentucky.  We  have  seen  the  share  which  she 
has  taken  in  the  evangelization  of  the  West,  and  the  fruits  of 
somewhat  more  than  half  a  century's  toil.  Three  generations 
ago,  Kentucky  was  a  tangled  wilderness,  whose  silence  was 


COMCLUSIOK.  3fi7 

broken  only  by  the  howl  of  the  wild  beast,  or  the  whoop  ol"  the 
savage ;  but  the  wilderness  has  been  reclaimed,  and  made  to 
blossom,  literally  and  metaphorically,  as  the  rose.  Where 
waved  the  forest  or  the  cane-brake,  now  stand  numerous 
churches,  most  of  them  neat  and  commodious,  and  some  truly 
elegant  in  their  structure,  within  whose  walls  the  pure  and  sim- 
ple rites  of  religion  are  decently  celebrated  every  Sabbath,  and 
the  truths  of  the  Gospel  faithfully,  and  often  eloquently,  pro- 
claimed. The  pulpits  are  filled  with  a  clergy,  trained  for  the 
most  part  in  halls  founded  by  the  unwearied  perseverance  of 
the  Church,  in  spite  of  repeated  opposition  and  defeat,  and 
second  to  none  in  those  sterling  qualities  which  most  adorn  the 
sacred  office.  Amid  all  the  fluctuations  of  theological  opinion 
and  the  vicissitudes  of  conflicting  parties,  the  Synod  of  Kentucky 
has  maintained  a  firm  and  consistent  stand ;  it  has  borne  a  bold 
and  unequivocal  testimony  in  favor  of  the  ancient  landmarks  of 
truth  and  order  ;  and  there  is  no  Synod  in  a  more  healthy,  sound, 
and  harmonious  condition.*  Among  the  eldership  are  found 
names  that  must  be  revered  wherever  judicious  counsels  and  a 
godly  life  are  held  in  esteem.  The  laity,  less  accustomed  to 
read  than  to  think,  are  shrewd  and  intelligent,  and  of  an  inde- 
pendent turn  of  mind.  They  are  warm-hearted,  frank,  and 
hospitable,  easily  swayed  by  the  impulse  of  the  moment,  and 
ready  to  go  any  length  to  serve  a  friend  or  chastise  an  enemy. 
The  present  generation  are  greatly  in  advance  of  their  fore- 
fathers, as  regards  the  support  of  the  Gospel  and  the  benevolent 
operations  of  the  day.  Owing  to  the  frequent  emigration  of  the 
population  to  more  recently  opened  States,  the  churches  appear 
stationary  in  point  of  numbers ;  but  this  is  a  fallacious  appear- 
ance, and  one  which  has  been  very  unfairly  quoted  in  certain 
quarters  ;  since  it  is  obvious  on  reflection,  that  to  supply  this 
constant  drain,  the  churches  must  necessarily  have  large  annual 
accessions.  While  the  congregations  in  Kentucky  are  thimied 
by  this  wasting  process,  it  is  a  consolatory  thought  that  they  are 


*  The  Synod  of  Kentucky  embraces  six  Presbyteries :  Transylvania,  West 
Lexington,  Louisville,  Mulilenburg,  Ebenezer,  and  Bowling-green ;  seventy- 
nine  ministers ;  one  hundred  and  forty  churches ;  and  nine  thousand  five  hun- 
dred communicants.  The  contributions  during  the  year  1845  to  the  Assembly's 
Boards  of  Education  and  Foreign  and  Domestic  Missions,  and  other  benevolent 
objects,  exceeded  $13,000  ;  to  say  nothing  of  all  that  has  been  done  for  Centre 
College,  which  has  an  endowment  of  $70,000. 


368  CONCLUSION. 

serving  as  nurseries  for  the  mighty  West ;  and  that  the  migrating 
ministers  and  members  are  employed  by  Providence  in  scatter- 
ing the  seeds  of  Gospel  truth  and  the  institutions  of  the  Church 
over  the  vv^ide  valley  of  the  Mississippi.  And  finally,  let  it  be 
recorded  to  their  honor,  that  though  outnumbered  by  several 
other  sects,  they  are  alw^ays  among  the  foremost  in  every  good 
word  and  work,  and  none  exert  a  more  sensible  or  wholesome 
influence  upon  the  community.  Hated  and  feared  they  may  be, 
but  never  despised. 

Connected  with  the  history  of  this  section  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  are  many  names  on  which  memory  loves  to  linger :  the 
patriarchal  Rice  ;  the  sprightly  Allen  ;  the  learned  Campbell; 
the  tender-hearted  Lyle  ;  the  dignified  Blythe  ;  the  caustic 
Cameron  ;  the  brilliant  McChord  ;  the  uncompromising  Wilson  ; 
the  guileless  Stuart  ;  the  courtly  Breckinridge.  It  were  easy 
to  swell  the  Hst  by  the  addition  of  living  worthies,  both  from  the 
clergy  and  the  eldership,  who  have  done  good  service  to  the 
cause  of  the  Redeemer ;  but  their  merits  it  is  not  for  a  contem- 
porary to  chronicle. 

*'  salve,  magna  mater  virum  r 


MEMBERS  OF  THE  SYNOD  OF  KENTUCKY. 


1802. 

l)avid  Rice, 
Samuel  Findley, 
Matthew  Houston, 
Samuel  B.  Robertson, 
Thomas  Craighead, 
Terah  TempUn, 
James  Balch, 
James  McGready> 
William  Hodge, 
John  Bowman, 
William  McGee, 
John  Rankin, 
Samuel  Donnell, 
•William  Mahon, 
Samuel  Mcx^dow, 
John  Howe, 
James  Vance, 
Archibald  Cameron, 
Jeremiah  Abell, 
James  Crawford, 
Samuel  Shannon, 
Isaac  Tull, 
Robert  Marshall,    . 
James  Blythe,  D,D., 
James  Welch, 
Joseph  P.  Howe, 
Samuel  Rannels, 
John  Lyle, 
Barton  VV.  Stone, 
William  Robinson, 
James  Kemper, 
John  P.  Campbell,  M.D., 
Richard  McNemar, 
John  Thompson, 
John  E.  Finley, 
John  Dunlavy. 
Matthew  G.  Wallace* 

1803. 
Robert  Stuart^* 


1804. 

Thomas  Cleland,  D.D., 
Joshua  L.  Wilson,  D.D., 
Robert  Wilson, 
Finis  Ewing, 
John  Andrews, 
James  Hawe, 
Samuel  King. 

1805. 

James  Gilleland, 
William  Dicky, 
William  Williamson, 
Robert  G.  Wilson, 
Robert  B.  Dobbins, 
Samuel  Hodge, 
Thomas  Nelson. 

1807. 
Samuel  T.  Scotti 

1808. 

Robert  M.  Cunningham, 
James  Hoge, 
Samuel  Woods. 

1809. 
John  Todd. 

1810. 

Benj.  Irvine, 
Duncan  Brown, 
Nicholas  Pittingef, 
Samuel  K.  Nelson, 
Joseph  B.  Lapsley, 
James  W.  Stephenson, 
Sai^el  Baldridge. 


1811. 

James  H.  Dickey, 
Isaac  Anderson,  D.D.j 
Nathan  H.  Hall, 
Daniel  Hayden, 
Samuel  G.  Ramsav» 
Charles  Coffin,  D.D., 
Mathew  Donald, 
John  McCampbell, 
James  Witherspoon. 

1812. 

John  Boyd, 
Jacob  Lake> 
William  Gray, 
Robert  Henderson, 
Gideon  Blackburti,  D.D., 
John  Gillespie. 

1813. 

John  Smith, 
James  Gillelatid. 

1814. 
William  W.  Martin. 

1816. 

Hugh  Shaw, 
John  R.  Kerr, 
George  Newton, 
Thomas  J.  Hall, 
James  Smylie, 
Daniel  Comfort, 
Joseph  Bnllin, 
William  Montgomefyj 
Andrew  S.  Morrison, 
Jacob  Rickhow, 
David  Wier. 


♦  Besides  the  above,  there  were  in  the  Original  Presbv.  of  Translyvania,— Gary  H. 
Allen,  Adam  Rankin.  Andrew  McClure,  Wm.  Speer,  Robt.  Finley,  Peter  Wilscm. 


370 


MEMBERS  OF  THE  SYNOD  OF  KENTUCKY. 


1816. 

William  K.  Stuart, 
Robert  Hardin, 
James  H.  Bowman. 

1817.  « 

John  T.  Edgar,  D.D., 
John  R.  Moreland, 
James  McChord. 

1818. 

Isaac  Reed, 
John  Rankin, 
Daniel  C.  Banks, 
John  F.  Crowe,  D.D. 

1819. 

James  C.  Barnes, 
Samuel  Caruthers, 
John  R.  Moreland, 
Robert  H.  Bishop,  D.D. 

1820, 

Eli  Smith, 
John  McFarland, 
William  L.  McCalla, 
Thomas  C.  Searle. 

1821. 

Andrew  A.  Shannon, 
James  K.  Burch, 
David  H.  PhiUips. 

1822. 
Ralph  Cushman. 

1823. 

William  Scott, 

John  Breckinridge,  D.D., 

Charles  Phillips, 

Andrew  Todd, 

Jerem.  Chamberlain,  D.D. 

John  T.  Hamilton, 

Robert  A.  Lapsley, 

Isaac  Bard, 

Dewy  Whitney. 

1824. 

David  C.  Proctor, 
John  Hudson, 


James  L.  Marshall, 
Samuel  Taylor. 

1825. 

Stephen  Bliss, 
Alexander  Williamson, 
George  Bush, 
Tilly  H.  Brown, 
William  Dickson, 
Lyman  Whitney, 
Benjamin  F.  Spillman, 
Stephen  Lindsley, 
Baynard  R.  HaU- 

1826. 

Samuel  Steel, 
Samuel  K.  Snead, 
William  Henderson, 
Joseph  C.  Harrison, 
William  M.  King. 

1827. 

Robert  Holeman, 
Samuel  V.  Marshall, 
Samuel  Y.  Garrison, 
Simeon  H.  Crane, 
Alexander  R.  Curry, 
John  N.  Blackburn. 

1828. 

David  Nelson,  M.D., 
Samuel  Wilson, 
Samuel  Davies  Blythe, 
Thomas  Caldwell, 
John  J.  Pierce. 
Samuel  E.  Blackburn, 
James  H.  Logan. 

1829. 

John  H.  Brown, 
John  C.  Young,  D.D., 
Eli  N.  Sawtell, 
John  K.  Cunningham, 
William  H.  Forsythe, 
John  D.  Paxton, 
Orramel  S.  Hinckley, 
John  Jones, 
T.  J.  A.  Mines, 
WiUiam  Hamilton, 
John  McDonald.  A 

1830. 

James  Hawthorn, 
N.  M.  Urmston. 


William  G.  Gallaher, 
John  P.  Trotter, 
Hugh  Patton, 
Solomon  G.  Ward, 
Samuel  Lymi. 

1831. 

Joseph  Huber, 

James  T.  Smith, 

William  Rannels, 

W.  L.  Breckinridge,  D.D, 

J.  L.  Yantis, 

J.  F.  Price. 

1832. 

Simeon  Salisbury, 
Samuel  Calvert, 
Robert  Davidson,  D.D., 
Daniel  C.  Banks, 
George  W.  Ashbridge, 
Charles  A.  Campbell, 
Andrew  M.  Keith, 
William  J.  Keith, 
Lorin  Andrews, 
W.  L.  Alexander. 

1833. 

B.  J.  Wallace, 
Timothy  Root, 
Charles  Stewart, 
Isaac  Van  Doren, 
J.  Wm.  Blythe, 
Lewis  D.  Howell, 
Alexander  Logan, 
John  J.  Rice. 

1834. 

Alfred  Hamilton, 
N.  L.  Rice,  D.D., 
R.  H.  Lilly, 
Hervey  Woods, 
John  G.  Simrall, 
John  F.  Coons, 
Latten  W.  Dunlap, 
David  S.  Todd. 

1835. 

Henry  J.  Venable, 
Daniel  Baker, 
H.  H.  Hfcpkins, 
D.  L.  Russell, 
William  Hamilton, 
G.  G.  McAfee, 
William  D.  Jones. 


MEMBERS  OF  THE  SYNOD  OF  KENTUCKY. 


371 


183G. 

Joshua  T.  Pv-ussell, 
Michael  A.  Reniley, 
Andrew  H.  Kerr, 
Edward  P.  Humphrey, 
Samuel  Lynn, 
William  VV.  Hall,  M.D., 
Joseph  Ijane, 
Joseph  C.  Stiles,  D.D., 

D.  M.  Winston, 
Samuel  Wilson, 
Thomas  Cole. 

1837. 

Sylvester  Scovel,D.D., 
W.  B.  Rice, 

E.  T.  McLean, 
David  Page, 
George  W.  Kennedy, 
S.  S.  McRoberts, 
John  T.  Hendrick, 
Robert  C.  Grundy, 
P.  L.  McAboy. 

1838. 

D.  T.  Stuart, 
Justus  M.  Clark. 
»    Geo.  W.  Coons, 
Joseph  J.  Bullock, 
John  H.  Condit, 

1839. 

W.  W.  Hill, 
F.  Thornton, 


Isaac  JNIcIlvaine, 
L.W.  Green,  D.D., 
George  W.  McElroy, 
Samuel  D.  StuarL 

1840. 

AS.  Howsley, 
John  Lylo, 
William  R.  Preston. 

1841. 

J.  Kennedy, 
Joseph  B.  Hadden, 

S.  S.  Templeton, 
Robert  F.  Caldwell, 
John  S.  Watt. 

1842. 

E.  K.  Lynn, 
John  Montgomery, 
Aaron  Hogue, 

F.  S.  Howe, 
Joseph  Piatt, 
James  Woods, 
John  D.  Matthews, 
William  Orr. 

1843. 

James  Greene, 
H.  S.  Dickson, 
William  T.  Venable, 
William  Y.  Allen, 
A.  W.  Young, 
Joseph  Templeton, 
John  Sherer, 


James  T.  I^psley, 
C.  A.  Wylio, 
WilHam  ( '.  Matthews, 
Abel  A.  Case, 
G.  B.  Armstrong, 
A.  E.  Thome. 

1844. 

Bryant  D.  Thomas, 
Samuel  Williams, 
Robert  A.  Johnson, 
H.  P.  Thompson, 
Ralph  Harris, 
Joshua  F.  Green, 
Ezekicl  Fnrman, 
Benjamin  Boyd, 
John  M.  IMcConaughy, 
William  G.  Rice. 

1845. 

Jephtha  Harrison, 
Allen  D.  Metcalf, 
William  A.  Smith, 
J.  D.  Shane, 
Bryce  G.  Fields, 
J.  C.  Bayless, 
J.  S.  H.  Henderson. 

1846. 

James  Smith, 
Fielding  N.  Ewing, 
Samuel  W.  Cheney, 
F.  G.  Strahan, 
Gilbert  M.  Hair, 
D.  L.  Gray, 
Peter  Donan. 


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HORNE.— AN  INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  CRITICAL  STUDY  AND  KNOW- 
LEDGE OF  THE  HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  By  Thomas  Hartwell  Home,  B.D.  New 
edition,  corrected  and  enlarged,  illustrated  with  numerous  maps  and  fac-similes 
of  Biblical  manuscripts.     2  vols.,  royal  Svo.     $'3  50. 

"  To  commend  Home's  Introduction  to  the  clergy,  or  other  students  of  the  sacred  oracles,  would  be  '  carry- 
ing coats  to  Newcastle.'  It  has  long  been  regarded  as  an  indispensable  work  for  a  theological  library,  and  has 
acquired  among  Biblical  scholars— at  least  English  scholars — a  deservedly  high  repute.  It  is  a  work  of  gigan- 
tic labour.  The  results  of  the  research  and  erudition  of  Biblical  .scholars  of  all  countries,  and  in  all  time,  are 
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A   COMMENTARY  ON  THE  BOOK  OF  PSALMS.     By  George  Home,  Lord 


Bishop  of  Norwich,  to  which  is  prefixed  an  Introductory  Essay,  by  the  Rev.  Edward 
Irving,  of  London.     Svo.     $1  50. 

His  style  is  lucid,  and  often  terse  ;  his  reflections  grow  naturally  out  of  the  sentiments  of  the  passage  on 
which  he  comments,  and  there  bi-eathes  through  the  whole  so  much  sympathy  with  the  Psalmist  in  his  hum- 
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fitness  f'lr  family  reading. 

The  Introductory  Es.say,  too,  by  Edward  Irving,  written  when  he  was  in  his  right  mind,  before  his  great 
intellect  was  left  to  its  vagaries,  is  deeply  interesting.  It  abounds  in  richness  of  thought,  vividness  .of  de- 
scription, and  lofty  imaginiugs. 

BRIDGES.— THE  CHRISTIAN  MINISTRY;  with  an  Inquiry  into  the  Causes  of 
its  Inefficiency.     By  the  Rev.  Charles  Bridges.     Svo. 

Contents— Part  1.— General  view  of  the  Christian  Ministry.  Part  II  —General  causes  of  the  want 
of  success  in  the  Christian  Ministry.  Part  III  — Causes  of  Ministerial  inefficiency  connect- 
ed with  our  personal  character.  Part  IV.— The  Public  Work  of  the  Christian  Ministry. 
Part  v.— The  Pastoral  Work  of  the  Christian  Ministry.  Part  VI.— Kecollections  of  the 
Christian  Ministry.  With  a  full  index  to  the  various  subjects.  1  vol. 
This  work  is  already  known  to  many  of  us  as  the  best  book  on  the  subject  of  which  it  treats. 
AN  EXPOSITION   OF  THE  BOOK  OF   PROVERBS.     By  the  Rev.   Charles 


Bridges.     Svo. 
The  religious  community  will  rejoice  in  the  appearance  of  anything  from  this  beloved  author,  who  is  al- 
most beyond  comparison,  with  any  writer  of  the  age,  the  "Apollos"  of  the  Church,  "mighty  in  the  Scrip- 
tures."— £pis.  Rec. 

AN  EXPOSITION  OF  THE  CXIX.  PSALM.     By  the  Rev.  Charles  Bridges. 

MEMOIR  OF  MARY  JANE  GRAHAM.     By  the  Rev.  Charles  Bridges. 


CHALMERS. -LECTURES  ON  THE  EPISTLE  OF  PAUL  THE  APOSTLE 

to  the  Romans.     By  Thomas  Chalmers,  D.D.  and  LL.D.     Svo.     ^\  SO. 

SERMONS  AND  DISCOURSES.    By  Thomas  Chalmer-s,  D.D.  and  LL.D.    Third 

complete  American  edition.     2  vols.  Svo.     $2  50. 

NATURAL  THEOLOGY.     By  Thomas  Chalmers.     2  vols.  12mo..    $1'00. 

ON     THE      MIRACULOUS    AND    INTERNAL     EVIDENCES     OF     THE 

Christian  Revelation,  and  the  authority  of  iL^  records.     By  Thomas  Chalmers,  D.D. 
and  LL.D.     2  vols.  r2mo.     $1  00. 

MORAL  PHILOSOPHY.     By  Thomas  Chalmers,  D.D.  and  LL.D. 


"  The  reputation  of  Dr.  Chalmers  stands  high-too  high  to  be  affected  by  the  opinions  of  ordinary  men.  \a 
a  literary  man  and  a  man  of  science-iw  a  Christian  and  a  Theologtan-as  a  profound  thinker  and  a  powerful 
writer-as  an  expositor  of  fundamental  truth  in  Divinity  and  Philosophy,  and  a  practical  man  in  the  ^^ona 
departments  of  Christian  labour-we  are  much  deceived  if  he  ha.s  his  8ui)cnor,  or  in  aU  these  respects  hia 
•qual,  among  the  Divines  of  the  present  age,  and  of  any  cowaUyP— Boston  Recorder. 


carter's    publications. 

NEWTON.— THE  WORKS  OF  THE  REV.  JOHN  NEWTON— Late  Pastor  of 
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on  steel.     2  vols.  8vo. 

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H  ETH  ER  I  N  GTO  N  .—HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  OF  SCOTLAND,  FROM 
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SUDDARDS.— THE  BRITISH  PULPIT;  consisting  of  Discourses  of  the  most 
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dards.  2  vols.  8vo.  ^2  50. 
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able and  pleasing  occupation  in  studying  them,  as  they  constitute  a  rich  mine  of  ministerial  eloquence  and 
Christian  sentiment." — Baptist  Advocate. 

BUXLER.— THE  WORKS  OF  THE  REV.  JOSEPH  BUTLER,  D.C.L.,  late  Lord 
Bishop  of  Durham,  to  which  is  prefixed  an  account  of  the  character  and  writings  of 
the  author.     By  Samuel  Halifax,  D.D.,  late  Lord  Bishop  of  Gloucester,  8vo 

THE  ANALOGY  OF  RELIGION,  Natural  and  Revealed,  to  the  Constitution 

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SERMONS.     By  the  Right  Rev.  Joseph  Butler,  D.C.L.     8vo. 


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equalled ;  and  its  influence,  in  promoting  ministerial  efficiency,  can  hardly  be  over-rated.  Some  ministers  are 
in  the  habit  of  reading  it,  carefully,  once  every  year.  The  Dissertations  and  Sermons  on  important  subjects, 
may  be  read  with  pleasure  and  profit." — New  England  Puritan. 

BUTLER   AND   WILSON.— THE  ANALOGY  OF  RELIGION,  Natural  and 
Revealed.     By  Joseph  Butler,  D.C.L.,  and  Daniel  Wilson,  Bishop  of  Calcutta.    8vo. 

LUTHER.— A  COMMENTARY  ON    ST.  PAUL'S   EPISTLE  TO   THE  GALA- 

TIANS.     By  Martin  Luther.     8vo.     01  50. 

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terse,  nervous  and  calm.  His  ideas  are  the  production  of  a  Mghly  cultivated  mind,  originally  endowed  with 
strong  common  sense.  In  many  respects  he  has  the  characteristics  of  Andrew  Fuller,  with  more  of  the  polish 
of  the  school" — Baptist  Advocate. 

TYNG.— THE  ISRAEL  OF  GOD.     A    Series  of  Discourses.     By   the   Rev.   S.  H. 

Tyng,  DD.     8vo.     $1  00. 

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improve  the  heart.  The  subjects  are  all  of  an  eminently  spiritual  character,  relating  to  the  new  birth,  and  the 
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most  earnest  desire  to  do  good.  The  diction  is  polished  and  slightly  embellished,  ranging  between  the  neat 
and  elegant ;  the  method  is  always  clear,  and  the  argument  cogent." — Recorder. 

LECTURES   ON  THE  LAW  AND  THE  GOSPEL.     By  the  Rev.  S.  H.  Tyng, 


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THE    LIFE,  CHARACTER,  AND    REMAINS    OF    THE   REV.  RICHARD 


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Some  uniting  polish  with  native  superiority,  are  destitute  of  the  grace  of  godliness ;  and  others  excelling  in 
piety  and  good  works,  unavoidably  offend  a  refined  taste  by  some  vulgarity  of  thought,  expression,  or  action. 
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tleman are  only  the  subordinate  characters  of  the  humble  minded,  devoted,  and  enterprising  follower  of  tho 
lowly  Jesu8.'' — Baptist  Advocate. 

2 


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DAV I  ES.— SERMONS  ON  IMPORTANT  SUBJECTS.  By  the  Rev.  Samuel  Da- 
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DAVIDSON.— CONNECTION   OF    SACRED  AND  PROFANE    HISTORY.     Be- 
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of  nations,  may  be  as  untraceable  as  his  paths  in  the  ocean,  yet  the  efTecLi  are  everywhere  visible,  and  manifest 

the  progressive  fulfilment  of  the  prophetic  denunciations  and  promises  set  forfh  in  the  H.dy  Oracles." 

Protestant  Churchinuyi. 

ANCIENT  HISTORY.— Containing  the  History  of  the  Egyptians,  Assvrians, 
Chaldeans,  Modes,  Lydians,  Carthngenians,  Persians,  Macedonian's,  the  Seluci'dae  in 
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parts  being  re-written,  and  cast  into  a  new  form,  on  such  principles  of  selection  and  arrangement,  as  favour 
perspicuity,  and  assist  the  memory.  Instead  of  being  lost  in  a  chaos  of  materials,  the  reailer  is  carried  along 
in  a  plain  path  through  well  assorted  and  happily  adjusted  facts,  cheered  by  a  vivacity  which  keeps  him  inte- 
rested. God  is  not  excluded  from  the  world  which  he  created,  nor  is  his  interposition  in  the  affairs  of  men 
overlooked.  For  common  use,  we  think  it  deserves  to  supersede  all  that  have  gone  before  it." — Portland 
Christ.  Mirror. 

HALDANE.— EXPOSITION  OF  THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  ROMANS;  with  Re- 
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Tholuck.     By  Robert  Haldane,  Esq.     8vo. 

DUNCAN.— THE  SACRED  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  SEASONS;  Illustrating  the 
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her  noble  and  learned  father?  The  Sacred  Philosophy  of  the  Se;isons  by  the  latter,  has  been  much  admired 
both  in  Europe  and  in  this  country.  It  has  almost  assumed  the  character  of  a  sacred  classic.  Its  philosophy 
and  piety,  its  learning  and  eloquence  are  equally  distinguished.  To  those,  then,  who  love  nature, — who  delight 
to  wander  forth  amid  the  green  fields  at  early  morn  or  eventide,  and  gather  instruction  from  the  opening  flow- 
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gant and  admirable  volumes  " — Christian  Secretary. 

HAWKER  :— THE  POOR  MAN'S  MORNING  PORTION.  Being  a  selection  of  a 
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the  use  of  the  Poor  in  Spirit,  "  who  are  rich  in  faith,  and  heirs  of  the  kingdom." 
By  Robert  Hawker,  D.D.     Plymouth,  England.     ISrao. 

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comparatively  little  time  in  the  morning  to  devote  to  his  spiritual  duties.  These  portions  are,  therefore,  short, 
and  at  the  same  time  sweet,  and  very  much  in  the  form  of  meditations  on  the  truth  of  the  passage  selected. 
To  all,  who  are  necessarily  hurried  away  to  work  early,  we  especially  recommend  this  spiritual  treasury, 
whilst  all  can  use  it  with  profit.'' — Bib.  Repository. 

MCLEOD:— THE  LIFE  AND  POWER  OF  TRUE  GODLINESS.     By  the  Rev. 

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of  his  conceptions.  The  old  essayists  contented  themselves  with  brief  and  superficial  speculations  upon  com- 
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skeleton  of  a  sermon.  Yet  its  references  and  allusions  are  so  full  and  comprehensive,  that  the  reader  will  find 
in  it  all  the  force  and  impression  of  a  more  diffuse  discussion.  We  know  not  of  another  book  of  equal  compass, 
that  presents  these  all-important  subjects  in  so  forcible  and  popular  a  light.  .And  .as  it  is  a  time  when  these 
strong  points  are  a.s.«ailed,  it  is  a  very  opportune,  as  well  as  a  valuable  publication.  For  ministers  and  Christians 
alike,  it  will  be  found  a  fine  companion  for  the  Bible,  and  an  auxiliary  for  the  imlpit  and  the  Bible  class." 

ROM  Al  N  E  :— THE  LIFE,  WALK,  AND  TRIUMPH  OF  FAITH.  By  the  Rev. 
Wm.  Romaine. 

LETTERS  ON  THE  MOST  IMPORTANT  SUBJECTS  ;  during  a  Correspond- 
ence of  Twenty  Years.     By  the  late  Rev.  Wm.  Romaine.     12mo. 

3 


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FISK.— A  MEMORIAL  OF  EGYPT,  THE  RED  SEA,  THE  WILDERNESS  OF  SIN 
AND  PARAN,  MOUNT  SINAI,  JERUSALEM,  and  other  principailocalities  of 
the  Holy  Land.  By  the  Rev.  George  Fisk,  LL.B.,  Minister  of  Christ's  Chapel,  St. 
John's  Wood,  London.     12mo. 

JAY  :— EVENING  EXERCISES  FOR  THE  CLOSET;  for  Every  Day  in  the  Year. 
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not  find  it  clearly  rendered.     It  is  the  only  one  that  1  have  corrected.     I  declare  in  consequence  that  1  acknow- 
ledge this  translation  as  the  only  faithful  expression  of  my  thoughts  in  the  English  language,  and  I  rivouimead 
it  as  such  to  all  my  readers.     Farther,  I  have  made  in  this  edition  numorous  corrections  and  additions,  fre- 
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DUNCAN  —MEMOIR  OF  MRS.  MARY  LUNDIE  DUNCAN.  Being  Recollections  of  a  Daughter 
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MEMOIR  OF  GEORGE  ARCHIBALD  LUNDIE  ;  or,  Missionary  Life  in  Samoa.    By  Mrs.  Duncan. 

THE  COTTAGE  FIRESIDE  ;  or,  the  Parish  Schoolmaster.     By  Henry  Duncan,  D.D. 

TALES  OF  THE  SCOTTISH  PEASANTRY.    By  Dr.  Duncan,  and  others. 

OLD    HUMPHR  E  Y— PITHY  PAPERS  ON  SINGULAR  SUBJECTS. 
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WALKS  IN  LONDON  AND  ITS  NEIGHBOURHOOD. 

THODGHTS  FOR  THE  THOUGHTFUL. 

ADDRESSES. 

OBSERVATIONS. 

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OLD  SEA  CAPTAIN. 

GRANDPARENTS. 

— HOMELY  HINTS. 

CHRISTIAN    EXPERIENC  E— By  the  Author  of  "  Christian  Retirement." 

WILSON  —LIGHTS  AND  SHADOWS  OF  SCOTTISH  LIFE.    By  Professor  Wilson,  of  Edinburgh. 

New  ed. 

FRY — SABBATH  MUSINGS.  By  Caroline  Fry,  author  of  "Christ  our  Law,"  "  Christ  our  Example," 
"  Scripture  Reader's  Guide,"  &c.  &c. 

HER  V  EY— MEDITATIONS  AND  CONTEMPLATIONS.    By  the  Rev.  James  Hervey,  A.M. 

CRAMP— REFORMATION  IN  EUROPE.    The  History  of  the  Reformation  in  Europe.    With  a 

Chronology.     By  the  author  of  ''The  Council  of  Trent,"  "  Text  Book  of  Popery,"  &c. 

M  O  N  O  D  — LUCILLA ;  or,  the  Reading  of  the  Bible.    By  Adolphe  Monod,  D.D.    Translated  from  the 

French. 

MCCR  IE— LECTURES  ON  THE  BOOK  OF  ESTHER.    By  the  late  Thomas  McCrie,  D.D.,  author 

of  "  The  Life  of  John  Knox,"  &c. 

PATTERSON- A  CONCISE  SYSTEM  ON  THEOLOGY;  being  the  Shorter  Catechism  of  the 
Westmiuster  Assembly  of  Divines,  analyzed  and  explained,  by  Alexander  S.  Paterson,  A.M. 

SERLE— THE  CHRISTIAN  REMEMBRANCER.    By  Ambrose  Serle,  E.sq. 

OLM  STEAD— THOUGHTS  AND  COUNSELS  FOR  THE  IMPENITENT.    By  the  Rev.  J. 

M.  Olmstead. 

R  I  C  H  M  O  N  D— THE  ANNALS  OF  THE  POOR.  Containing  "  The  Dairyman's  Daughter,"  "The 
Young  Cottager,"  "  The  Negro  Servant,"  &c.    By  Legh  Richmond. 

THE  OLD  WHITE  MEETING-HOUSE ;  or.  Reminiscences  of  a  Country  Congregation 

LIFE  IN  NEW- YORK.    By  the  Author  of  "The  Old  White  Meeting-House." 

ROGER  S — JACOB'S  WELL.    By  the  Rev.  George  Albert  Rogers,  A.M. 

\A/  AT  E  R  B  U  R  Y— THE  BOOK  FOR  THE  SABBATH.  I.  The  Origin,  Design,  and  Obligation  of 
the  Sabbath.  II.  Practical  Improvement  of  the  Sabbath.  III.  Devotional  Exercises  for  the  Sabbath. 
By  the  Rev.  J.  B.  Waterbury. 

LOCK  WOOD— MEMOIR  OF  JOHN  B.  LOCK  WOOD.    By  his  Father.    With  a  Portrait. 

POLLOK— TALES  OF  THE  SCOTTISH  COVENANTERS.  Containing  "  Helen  of  the  Glen  "— 
"  The  Persecuted  Family  "— ''  Ralph  Gemmell."    By  Robert  Follok. 

BOG  ATZKY— A  GOLDEN  TREASURY  FOR  THE  CHILDREN  OF  GOD.  Consisting  of  Select 
Texts  of  the  Bible,  with  Practical  Ob.-ervations  for  every  day  in  the  Year.     By  C.  H.  V.  Bogatzky. 

WH  ITE— MEDITATIONS  AND  ADDRESSES  ON  THE  SUBJECT  OF  PRAYER.  By  the  Key. 
Hugh  White,  A.M.,  of  St.  Mary's  Parish,  DubUn. 

THE  BELIEVER  :  a  Series  of  Discourses.    By  the  same  author. 

PRACTICAL  REFLECTIONS  ON  THE  SECOND  ADVENT.    By  the  same  author. 

MY  SCHOOL-BOY  DAYS.    A  very  interesting  Juvenile  Book. 

6 


carter's    publications. 

BONN  ET— FAMILY  OF  BETHANY;  or,  Meditations  on  the  Eleventh  Chapter  of  the  Gospel  ac- 
cording  to  St.  John.  By  L  Bonnet.  Translated  from  the  French.  With  an  lutruductorv  Eaiiav  hv 
Kev.  Hugh  White.  •^'    ' 

MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LORD'S  PKAYER.     By  the  Rev.  L  Bonnet,  author  of  "  The  Family  ac 

Bethany "  ■' 

ALIQU  IS— THE  RETROSPECT;  or,  Review  of  Providential  Mercies ;  with  Anecdoteg  of  variona 
Characters.  By  Aliqui8,  formerly  a  Lieutenant  in  the  Royal  Navy,  and  now  a  Minister  in  the  Estab- 
liohed  Church,     trom  the  17th  London  edition. 

KRUMMACH  E  R— THE  MARTYR  LAMB ;  or,  Christ  the  Representative  of  his  People  In  all 
Ages.     By  F.  W.  Krummacher,  D.U. 

ELIJAH  THE  TISHBITE.    By  F.  W.  Krummacher,  D.D.,  author  of  «  The  Martyr  Lamb." 

JAY— THE  CHRISTIAN  CONTEMPLATED;  In  a  Course  of  Lectures,  delivered  in  Ariryle  Chapel, 
Bath.    By  the  Rev.  Wm.  Jay.  tj  i'    , 

BROWNLEE— THE  CHRISTIAN  FATHER  AT  HOME  ;  or,  A  Manual  of  Parental  Instruction. 
By  W.  C.  Brownlee,  D.D. 

BURN  S— CHRISTIAN  FRAGMENTS;  or.  Remarks  on  the  Nature,  Precepts,  and  Comforts  of  Reli- 
gion.   By  John  Burns,  M.D.,  F.R.S.,  Professor  of  Surgery  in  the  University  of  Glasgow,  &c. 

B  I  CKERSTETH— TREATISE  ON  PRAYER. 

WO  ODROOFFE— MICHAEL  KEMP,  THE  HAPPY  FARMER'S  L.\D.  A  Tale  of  Rustic 
Life,  illustrative  of  the  Spiritual  Blessings  and  Temporal  Advantage  of  Early  Piety.  By  Anne  Wood- 
rooffe. 

H  EN  RY— COMMUNICANT'S  COMPANION.  By  the  Rev.  Matthew  Henry.  With  an  Introduc- 
tory Essay,  by  the  Kev.  John  Brown,  Edinburgh. 

P  I  K  E— PERSUASIVES  TO  EARLY  PIETY. 

DO  DDR  I  DGE— RISE  AND  PROGRESS  OF  RELIGION  IN  THE  SOUL. 

SCO  U  GAL— WORKS  OF  REV.  HENRY  SCOUGAL ;  consisting  of  the  Life  of  God  in  the  Soul, 
Sermons,  &c. 

BUCHANAN  —COMFORT  IN  AFFLICTION.  A  Series  of  Meditations.  By  the  Rev.  James 
Buchanan,  D.D. 

TA  Y  LO  R— MEMOIRS  AND  CORRESPONDENCE  OF  JANE  TAYLOR.    By  her  Brother,  Isaac 

Taylor. 

CONTRIBUTIONS  OF  Q.  Q.    With  some  Pieces  not  before  published.    By  Jane  Taylor.    2  vols. 

CORRESPONDENCE  BETWEEN  A  MOTHER  AND  HER  DAUGHTER  AT  SCHOOL.    By 

Mrs.  Taylor  and  Jane  Taylor. 

ORIGINAL  POEMS  FOR  INFANT  MINDS.    By  the  Taylor  Family. 

DISPLAY.    A  Tale.    By  Jane  Taylor. 

ESSAYS  IN  RHYME  ON   MORALS  AND  MANNERS,  AND    POETICAL  REMAINS.    By 

Jane  Taylor. 

F  R  Y— THE  SCRIPTURE  READER'S  GUIDE.    By  Caroline  Fry.    From  the  London  edition. 

HAM  I  LTOjVJ— THANKFULNESS,  AND  OTHER  ESSAYS.  By  the  Rev.  James  Hamilton,  of 
London. 

LIFE  IN  EARNEST.  Six  Lectures  on  Christian  Activity  and  Ardour.  By  the  Rev.  James  Ham- 
ilton. 

THE  MOUNT  OF  OLIVES,  AND  OTHER  LECTURES  ON  PRAYER.    By  the  Rev.  James 

Hamilton. 

HARP  ON  THE  WILLOWS— Remembering  Zion— Farewell  to  Egvpt— The  Church  in  the  House— 

The  Dew  of  Hermon— and  The  Destination  of  the  Jews.    By  the  Rev.  James  Hamilton,  of  London. 
From  the  forttj-fifth  London  edition. 

BEITH — SORROWING,  YET  REJOICING;  or,  Narrative  of  Succe-'sive  Bereavements  in  n 
Minister's  Family.    By  the  Rev.  A.  Beith,  Stirling,  Scotland. 

S  I  N  C  L  A  I  R— CHARLIE  SEYMOUR  ;  or,  the  Good  Aunt  and  the  Bad  Aunt.  By  Miss  Catharine 
Sinclair. 

p  I  KE — TRUE  HAPPINESS ;  or,  the  Excellence  and  Power  of  Eariy  Religion.    By  J.  G.  Pike,  author 

of  "  Persuasive'  to  Early  Piety  "— "  Divine  Origin  of  Christianity,"  &c. 
RELIGION  AND  ETERNAL  LIFE;  or,  Irreligion  and  Perpetual  Ruin,  the  only  Alternative  for 

Mankind.     By  the  same  author. 
DIVINE  ORIGIN  OF  CHRISTIANITY.    By  the  same  author. 

BOSTO  N— CROOK  IN  THE  LOT.    By  Thomas  Boston. 

J  ER  R  A  M  — A  TRIBUTE  OF  PARENTAL  AFFECTION  TO  THE  MEMORY  OF  MY  BEI.OVEl) 
AND  ONLY  DAUGHTKR,  HANNAH  JERRAM;  with  a  Short  Account  of  the  Last  lUness  and  Death 
of  her  Elder  Brother,  Charies  Stranger  Jerram.    By  Charles  Jerram,  A.M. 

7 


carter's    publications. 

^'i„'"'"^^'^^^®~^NECDOTES  ON  THE  SHORTER  CATECHISM.    By  John  Whitecroas. 

Teacher,  Edinburgh. 

GRIFFITHS  —LIVE  WHILE  YOU  LIVE.    By  the  Rev.  Thomas  Griffiths,  A.M.,  Homerton. 

BAXTER— A  C.\LL  TO  THE  UNCONVERTED.  Now  or  Never,  and  Fifty  Reasons.  By  Richard 
Baxter.     With  an  Introduction,  by  Dr.  Chalmers. 

♦JAY — JUBILEE  MEMORIAL;  being  the  Sermons,  Meetings,  Presentations,  and  Full  Account  of  the 
Jubilee  Commemorating  the  Rev.  Wm.  Jay's  Fifty  Years'  Ministry  at  Argyle  Chapel,  Bath. 

C  U  M  M  1  N  G  S— A  MESSAGE  FROM  GOD  TO  THINKING  MEN.    By.  Rev.  Mr.  Cummings. 

BU  N  BURY— GLORY,  GLORY,  GLORY!  AND  OTHER  NARRATIVES.  By  Miss  Selina 
Bunbury. 

BON  A  R— THE  NIGHT  OF  WEEPING;  or.  Words  for  the  Suffering  Family  of  God.  By  the  Rev. 
Horatio  Bonar,  Kelso,  Scotland. 

H  A  \A^  K  E  R  — ZION'S  PILGRIM ;  or,  the  Way  to  the  Heavenly  Canaan,  Familiarly  lUustrated.    By 

the  Rev.  Robert  Hawker,  D.D. 
MEMOIR  OF  SARAH  MARTIN. 

ALLEI  N  E— GOSPEL  PROMISES;  being  a  Short  View  of  the  Great  and  Precious  Promises  of  the 
Gospel.    By  the  Rev.  Joseph  AUeine,  author  of  the  "Alarm  to  the  Unconverted,"  &c. 

DO  D  DR  i  DGE— TILE  LIFE  OF  COL.  GARDINER.    By  Philip  Doddridge,  D.D. 

H  E  N  R  Y— A  METHOD  OF  PRAYER.    By  Matthew  Henry. 

HOWELL— PERFECT  PEACE;  LETTERS-MEMORIAL  OF  THE  LATE  JOHN  WARREN 
HOWELL,  Esq.,  of  Bath.    By  the  Rev.  David  Pitcairn.    With  an  Introductory,  by  the  Rev.  John 

Stevenson. 

BIOKERSTETH  —A  TREATISE  ON  THE  LORD'S  SUPPER.  By  the  Rev.  Edward  Bicker- 
steth.  With  an  Introduction,  Notes,  and  an  Essay,  by  G.  T.  Bedell,  D.D.,  late  Rector  of  St.  Andrew's 
Church,  Philadelphia. 

CAMERON  —FARMER'S  D.WGHTER.    A  Tale.    By  Mrs.  Cameron. 

CO  LQU  HO  UN— THE  WORLD'S  RELIGION,  AS  CONTRASTED  WITH  GENUINE 
CHRISTIANITY.    By  Lady  Colquhoun. 

CUNNINGHAM— A  WORLD  WITHOUT  SOULS.    By  J.  W.  Cunningham,  Vicar  of  Harrow. 

ADVICE  TO  A  YOUNG  CHRISTIAN. 

C  EC  I  L— LIFE  OF  REV.  JOHN  NEWTON.    By  the  Rev.  Richard  Cecil,  A.M. 

KE  N  N  E  DY— PROFESSION  IS  NOT  PRINCIPLE;  or,  the  Name  of  Christian  is  not  Christianity. 
By  Grace  Kennedy,  author  of  "  Hannah  Ross,"  &c. 

JESSY  ALLAN  THE  LAME  GIRL.    By  Grace  Kennedy. 

PC  L  LO  K — HELEN  OF  THE  GLEN.    A  Tale  of  the  Scotch  Covenanters.    By  Robert  PoIIok,  author 

of  the  "  Course  of  Time,"  &c. 

PERSECUTED  FAMILY.    A  Narrative  of  the   Sufferings  of   the  Covenanters  in  the  Reign  of 

Charles  II.     By  Robert  Pollok,  author  of  the  "  Course  of  Time,"  &c. 

RALPH  GEMMELL ;  or,  the  Banks  of  the  Irvine.    A  Tale  of  the  Scottish  Covenanters.    By  Robert 

Pollok. 

FOR  D — DECAPOLIS ;  or,  the  Individual  Obligation  of  Christians  to  save  Souls  from  Death.  By  David 
E.  Ford.     Fifth  Edition. 

THE  SINNER'S  FRIEND.  From  the  87th  London  Edition,  completing  upwards  of  half  a  million.  The 
Sinner's  Friend  is  printed  in  sixteen  different  languages. 

R  I C  H  M  O  N  D— MEMOIR  OF  HANNAH  SINCLAIR.     By  the  Rev.  Legh  Richmond. 

DUNCAN  —A  GLIMPSE  INTO  THE  WORLD  TO  COME,  IN  A  WAKING  DREAM.  By  the  late 
Geo.  B.  Phillips.     With  a  Memoir  by  Mrs.  Duncan. 

N  O  E  L— INFANT  PIETY.    A  Book  for  Little  Children.    By  the  Rev.  Baptist  W.  Noel,  M.A. 

H  U  S  S— A  MEMOIR  OF  JOHN  HUSS.     Translated  from  the  German. 

D'  A  U  B  I  G  N  E— LUTHER  AND  CALVIN  ;  or,  the  True  Spirit  of  the  Reformed  Church.  By.  J. 
H.  Merle  D'Aubigne,  author  of  th'i  "History  of  the  Reformation,"  &c. 

OLD    HUMPHR  E  Y— MY  GRANDFATHER  GREGORY.    By  Old  Humphrey. 

MY  GRANDxAL\MA  GILBERT.    By  Old  Humphrey. 

BALCH,  BEECH  ER,  AND  SMYTH— GOD  IN  THE  STORM.  A  Narrative 
by  the  Rev.  L.  P.  W.  Balch — An  Address  by  Dr.  Beecher — and  Sermon  by  Rev.  Thomas  Smyth,  D.D., 
delivered  on  board  the  Steamer  Great  Western,  after  the  severe  Storm  encountered  on  her  Kecent 
Voyage. 

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